Change of Heart
by 911weasleytwins
Summary: Lily has to get home from college. But when her only option for a ride home is James Potter, things are bound to get interesting. And with Petunia's wedding approaching quickly, could James be the only one who can save her from her sister's wrath?
1. In Which Lily Is Angry

**Hi! I'm really excited for this story! I'll let you get to it, but I love feedback, and I love comments and suggestions! Thanks for checking out my story!**

The wind was blowing. Hard. Lily pulled her scarf closer to her neck, wishing with all her heart that winter was over. Walking across the university campus in the bitter cold was not her idea of fun.

Relief and warmth flooded every particle of her being as she walked into the education building. Unlooping her scarf, she made a beeline for the notice board, hoping with all her heart someone had replied to her notice.

Lily was not disappointed. Someone had written a number in a dark, scrawling hand beside her plea for help. She fumbled for her mobile, determined to call whoever her savior was before they could change their mind.

A voice from behind Lily rang out, a voice that filled her with dread. "It's you?"

 _Dear God, please don't let this be him._

Lily swiveled around and came face-to-face with a very pleased James Potter.

"No. Anyone but you." The words were out of Lily's mouth before she could consider the consequences.

"I hate to tell you, sweetheart, but there isn't anyone else. I've been all over, and anyone up for a rideshare is going London-wards. I've checked all over- I looked in Aviation, Poly Sci, Chemical Engineering- I even stooped as low as checking out the geology lab. Education was my last stop- and I've been waiting here for the past hour and a half. If you want to get to Exeter, I'm your only option."

"No. This cannot be my only option." Lily stuttered weakly. "There has to be another way-"

"Not a single car," James said cheerfully, running a hand through his hair. "We leave tonight. I'll be at Kellynch at 5:30- be packed and ready." He wound a scarf around his neck, and with a gleeful grin, he strutted out the door, leaving Lily confused and irritated.

During the walk back to her dorm, Lily weighed the consequences of a rideshare with James Potter. On the one hand, she could get home quickly and efficiently- Potter did everything fast-paced, and nothing halfway. On the other hand, there was the whole business from their sophomore year…

Lily stormed into Kellynch Hall. Opening the door to her room, she found Marlene Lewis sprawled across the floor, reading aloud from the Tales of King Arthur, and Alan McKinnon sitting by her with his back against the bedpost.

Upon seeing Lily's reddened face, she snapped the book shut and sat up. "My darling Lily, what has worked you up into a passion his time?" Marlene sang out, her clear laugh and a warm hug accompanying the teasing.

"I found a way home," she mumbled.

Adam pushed Marlene aside playfully and gave Lily a hug. "That's great, Lils! I know how important it is for you to get to Cokeworth this Christmas."

Lily's muffled voice was barely audible from Alan's shoulder. "There's a minor issue."

Marlene pulled Lily out of Alan's tight hug. "What's the matter, creampuff? Is there a problem with the car? Are you nervous about going home? If you don't feel like you're okay to go home yet, I'm sure your dad would understand. You could stay here with Alan and I-"

"The only ride available is with James Potter."

Marlene stared, then began to smile. She started to push Alan out of the room, laughing as he tried to resist.

"But Mar," he complained, "I want to hear about the drama."

"Scram, you," Marlene said laughingly, finally getting him out the door. With a final slam, she shut the door behind him and flopped on the floor.

"Now, my dear, tell me why riding with James would be so bad."

Lily gaped at Marlene. "Don't you remember our sophomore year?"

"Lily, Snivellus and James' rivalry is no longer our issue."

"I know that, Mar, but he belittled and humiliated someone who I cared about. It's really hard not to hate someone who hurts a person on purpose."

"Lily, my blossom, I know you are very blind on this subject, but Sniv was not blameless in the matter. I remember dozens of very unkind pranks he played on James."

"Mar, I'm just really uncomfortable with this."

"Lily. There aren't any trains going to Cokeworth, and you know your dad can't drive you home from Exeter. And this is the first Christmas since-"

"I know, Mar. He needs me to be home, now more than ever."

"And it would be a good time to get to know a new James Potter."

"Marlene, I am not talking to him."

"Why, too shy to admit you might like him?"

"This from the girl who won't even admit she's been in love with her best friend since fourth grade."

Marlene dove at Lily, pinning her down and beginning to tickle her. "Alan and I are JUST FRIENDS, you silly gosling!"

"Truce, truce, truce!" Lily gasped between laughs. "But really, Mar, there is no way I am even talking to that prick. I am going to listen to my music and ignore him completely."

"For two days?" Marlene said skeptically. "What if we make a deal, muffin?"

"Muffin? I swear, Marlene, your nicknames become more ridiculous by the hour." Lily scoffed. "But what sort of deal did you have in mind?"

Marlene sat up, brushing her blond curls out of her eyes. "If you give an effort to get to know James Potter, I will tell Alan how I feel."

Lily eyed Marlene, trying to see if she was being serious. She stuck out her hand. "It's a deal." She looked at the clock. "Potter is going to be here in an hour. Will you help me pack, Mar?"

"I thought you'd never ask," Marlene said, smiling crookedly. "And would it kill you to call him James?"


	2. In Which James Is Hopeful

**I'm just going to post this now. I love feedback, it means so much to me!**

James Potter looked up at Kellynch Hall, growing more and more nervous by the minute. Somewhere in there, Lily Evans was waiting to embark on what James planned on being the adventure of her life.

 _That is, if she'll even talk to me._

He took a snow shovel out of his backseat and began clearing the path to Kellynch Hall.

James was halfway up the staircase when he realized he didn't know exactly where Lily lived. First floor, second, third? With about thirty rooms per floor, he'd be knocking for hours. He didn't even have a phone number to reach her at. Fortunately, James ran into Alan McKinnon sitting on the dorm's staircase, reading a book.

"Hey, Alan. What are you reading?"

"The Tales of King Arthur. It's Marlene's favorite book, and I nicked it when she and Lily kicked me out of their room."

 _Of course! I'm an idiot! Marlene boards with Lily, and she's in Aviation with me. I should have called her._

"I'm taking Lily home for the holidays. Can you tell me which room's hers and Marlene's?"

Alan cocked an eyebrow and grinned at James. "Taking her home with us for the holidays, are we? That's a bit presumptuous, considering she hates every fiber of your being."

"You-agh- that's not what I meant- you prick!"

Alan stood up, laughing. "They're on floor three, second door on the right." He clapped James's shoulder. "Have a happy Christmas, James."

"You too, mate."

Every step nearer to Lily's dorm room set him more and more on edge. _Hey, it's not like she can hate you more than she already does._ He didn't even remember knocking on the door, but suddenly, a young blonde lady was buzzing around him.

"Hey, James! Thank you so much for taking Lily with you…"

Marlene probably kept talking, but James was flooded with a feeling he knew very well, an emotion he felt every time he was around one Lily Evans. She looked at him with emerald eyes, eyes so stunning and unique no one could forget them.

 _It was his freshman year of college, sitting with Remus in psychology, waiting for class to start. He caught his first glance of her when she was mid-laugh, eyes sparkling with merriment, giggling with a greasy-haired boy that James hated instantly._

 _James didn't listen that class, and he barely heard Remus teasing him about it later, his head full of dark red hair and green eyes._

"..she's been really stressed about it the last few weeks, and we were starting to think she might have to stay home for the holidays…"

 _It was his sophomore year of college, and he was standing behind Snivellus, laughing as he watched the boy fall into the lake. While he thought it was a good prank, he felt his heart sink as Lily shouted obscenities towards him while she hauled Snape out of the water._

"…you're a lifesaver, honestly, taking her with you at the last minute…"

 _It was his junior year of college, and he was dancing with a girl he barely knew, a girl he barely cared to know, watching Lily as she smiled at Snape, brushing her hair off her shoulders. Oh, how he wished it was him she was smiling at, and him whose ear she whispered in…_

"…and I'm sure that she's so grateful for you being so flexible…"

 _It was the end of his junior year of college, and he was trying to coax her out of a tree in the commons where she was crying over Snape's betrayal. She whispered for him to go away, but he stayed there all night until he would let her take her back to Kellynch. She left for home the next day._

"…make sure you call so Alan and I know you're safe, and I hope you two have a wonderful trip!" Marlene kissedLily goodbye and gave James a quick hug, then all but pushed the two out of the room.

 _Pull yourself together, James!_ "Good evening, my Lily-blossom! Are you prepared to embark on an adventure of epic proportions!"

Lily scowled at him. "First of all, I am _not_ your Lily-blossom. Secondly, adventures take months and months. Our trip isn't going to last that long."

James wiggled his eyebrows at her. "That's what you think." He set of down the hall at a brisk pace, smirking as he heard Lily cursing at him.

"James Potter, don't you dare!"

"Evans, would I really do something like that?"

"Yes!"

"My darling flower, I resent that you have such little faith in me!"

"And that is completely justified!"

"Ah, here she is."

The two stood in Kellynch's doorway, looking at a battered old minivan- James with pride, Lily with disdain.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me."

"Hey, don't offend poor Bertha! She barely breaks down! Okay, she breaks down sometimes. Okay, she breaks down-"

"Stop right there, I don't want to know." Lily said, looking vaguely sickened.

James smiled at her. "Let me take your luggage, Your Majesty," he said with a bow.

Lily rolled her eyes, but he thought he detected a trace of a smile as she gave him her purple suitcase and climbed in the van.

James packed it in the trunk with a smile.

 _I've got hope yet._


	3. Milkshakes Are Always The Answer

**Hey, so this one's kind of short, but I've got some fun stuff in the works. I'm about to get the actual party started, so hold on while I finish getting the awkward stuff out of the way. Actually, it's about to get more awkward, but that's a story for another time…**

 **I love reviews! Reviews motivate me! You have no idea how much I treasure your feedback! If you have the time, please leave something! I hope you all have a lovely day!**

"So, are we going to talk, or what?"

Lily started when she heard James speak for the first time in two hours. She removed her headphones. "Sorry, what?"

"Can we talk? It's dark and I'm getting kind of tired and talking helps keep people from driving off the road. Also, it's really boring," he finished, looking at Lily like a preschooler. She almost laughed, but caught herself in time. "Sure. But you get to start."

"Okay, um, why did you go into education?"

"I love learning, and I love children. It was really the only thing I ever wanted to do." She smiled softly out the window. "My mum was a teacher, I used to volunteer in her classroom." She frowned at him. "Why did you go into aviation? You clearly had options, you're smart, even if you do stupid things."

He grinned at her. "I love flying. I feel free, and I can do whatever I want, go anywhere I want, without anyone telling me what to do. Except the control tower, of course," he said, looking at her with a crooked grin on his face. "I'm hungry. Are you hungry?"

They were both, as it turned out, very hungry, which led them to pulling off at a dingy roadside diner with questionable interior. They were both silent until James burst out, "Can't we just be friends? I know that I hurt you and people you cared about, but you have no idea just how deeply I regret that. I hope you know that I never meant to hurt you, you are a singularly wonderful person. Please let me try to make it up to you."

Lily was silent, staring at James in contemplation. James seemed to get more and more nervous the more she stayed quiet. "Please say something," he said. "All I want is another chance. God knows I don't deserve it, but all I want is a shot to make up for what I've done." He leaned forward in his chair. "I just want to get to know you, Lily."

 _Does he really think that an apology will make everything better? Years and years of cruelty, and he just thinks…_ But Lily could already feel her anger abating. Or maybe it had abated long ago, and she was just determined to keep it up for Sev's sake. _Sev isn't an object anymore_ , she reminded herself, and steeled her nerves for what she and Marlene had decided to do back at Kellynch.

She looked at him. "When I came on this trip, I promised Mar I would try to get to know you, and I intend to keep that promise. I can't say that I forgive you, at least not yet, but I'm going to have fun, and let you in, I guess."

James smiled so widely that Lily was afraid his face would break. _Was his smile always that nice?_ She pushed the thought away and pulled a milkshake towards her. James wrinkled his nose. "Caramel? Really?"

"Excuse me, I happen to love caramel milkshakes. What does his majesty prefer instead, then?

Assuming a haughty expression, James pulled a pink cup nearer to him. "Strawberry. I suppose I'm an ice cream purist." He began to drink his shake with the energy and excitement of a kindergartener. Lily laughed at his enthusiasm.

He looked up at her, grinning. "That's the first time you've ever laughed at something I did."

"Not true! I laughed when you stepped in a paint tray when we were juniors. I laughed when Frank accidently spilled punch on you when we were sophomores. I laughed when-"

"Okay, okay! I mean that's the first time you've ever laughed _with_ me."

She looked at him intently. "Yes, I suppose it is."

He changed the topic. "So what on earth could Marlene threaten you with to let you, the great, proud, Lily Evans give me a chance?"

Lily blushed a little. "I suppose I am a bit proud. But she actually didn't have to threaten me at all."

James looked up hopefully. "Not-not even a little?"

 _Why is that important?_ "You know Alan McKinnon, right?"

"Sure, he boards across from Remus, Sirius, Pete and I. With Frank."

"Are you aware of the unspoken but painfully obvious thing between Marlene and him?"

"Yeah, she's kind of the most important thing in his life."

"Well, she's been in love with him since they were in fourth grade, and I told her I'd give you a chance if she told him how she felt."

He looked at her intently. _Is there ice cream on my face?_ "Good, I hate it when people circle each other."

Lily looked back at him. "Me too."


	4. Detours

**I haven't been getting reviews :( It really means so much to me. I know you might think that I don't notice, or don't care, but even the smallest "cute story" or "excited to see how it goes" means more to me than a hundred-carat diamond. Feedback is what I live for. Please.**

 **Anyway, things are about to complicate. Also, everyone's favorite rebel is about to make an appearance.**

 **No, not me. Hold your applause. Anyways…**

James woke up miserable.

He rubbed his neck, trying to get the crick out. He looked behind him, and inhaled deeply.

Never in his life did he imagine he'd be lucky enough to have Lily Evans sleeping next to him.

Okay, she wasn't really next to him, she was curled up on the backseat of the minivan. But even with bedhead and drool running down her porcelain skin, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was almost a shame he had to wake her up.

He gently rocked her shoulder. "Hey, wake up, Evans." _Evans!_ he mentally cursed himself. _You want her to like you, idiot!_

Lily yawned. "What time is it?"

James looked at his watch. "Seven-thirty."

She wrinkled her nose at him in disgust. "Why do you _hate_ me?"

 _Oh, if only you knew…_ "This is when _normal_ people wake up, my Lily-blossom."

 _Is she blushing?!_ "I am _not_ your Lily-blossom, Potter!"

"Oh, so we're back to Potter, now?"

"We certainly are when you call me ridiculous names!"

James turned around, rubbing his neck. "Never again. I will never again sleep in this blasted van."

"I thought this van was not to be berated?"

"The van itself is a semi-reliable vehicle. However, she was not designed with the comfort of tired young people in mind."

"That's true," Lily yawned, rumpling her hair. "So, we're off to Exeter today?"

"Um… We're going to make a bit of a detour."

"Potter! I thought we were going straight home! Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why in such a rush to arrive? Missing your mum and dad?"

Lily turned away. _What did I say?_ "Lily? Are you alright?"

"It's nothing."

"It obviously isn't nothing. But I'm going to let it go, for now."

"Anyway, Potter, you've been misleading me. Why aren't we going right to Exeter?"

"We're taking a couple days' worth of detour to go north, sightsee… and pick up Sirius."

"There is no way in hell I am staying in a car with you and Black both for another two days."

James smiled cheekily at Lily. "Then I advise you start walking."

Lily was still sulking by the time they reached Liverpool.

"Why are we even getting Sirius? Isn't he spending the holidays with his family?"

James grimaced. "Well, he'd rather not spend his break with an abusive family, so I'm taking him to my family's place."

Lily clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my God, I am so sorry. I thought- well, it doesn't matter. I am so, so sorry for my behavior. I would be glad to have Sirius around."

James looked sideways at her. "Well, don't tell Sirius I'd tell you, he'd have my head."

She laughed at him, a sound he never wanted to stop hearing. It wasn't even a particularly beautiful laugh, just a genuine outburst of feeling. He smiled back at her. _Crap, I'm being to obvious, have to divert her attention-_ "So, after the unfortunate events of last night, I took the liberty of calling Sirius and asking him to book a motel for the night, since he's got an inheritance from some dead uncle. He did it, but being Sirius, booked it in York, because there's some cathedral he wants to see."

"Wow, I wouldn't have pegged Black as a religious bloke."

"He's not. He wants to go because of the architecture."

"That's what he's studying, then? I got the impression he only came to university to pick up tarts."

"Most people do. But he's a prodigy, and really cares about architecture. So we're going to go see the York Minister to cheer him up. Last I called, he didn't sound so hot."

"Well, I've actually wanted to see it, too, so this an exciting opportunity for me. Where does Black live, anyway?"

"His family has this God-awful holiday home on the outskirts of the city. You'll be seeing it soon, it's pretty hard to miss. It's enormous, and it's the most hideous house you've ever seen. Actually, that might have been how he got a love for well-designed buildings- he grew up in the ugliest of the lot."

Lily leaned forward in her seat. "Dear God, that really is the most hideous house."

It truly was. Bitterwood Estate seemed to have been built in stages- and each stage an example of the worst architectural styles of the times. It seemed a wild mix of flying buttresses, sandstone bricks, and patios, patios, patios on all sides of the house.

"Right, so Sirius's door will be the one with the bike poster on it," James said, pulling the minivan up the driveway. "Walburga and Orion are at a benefit until two, so we have about fifteen minutes to get Sirius safely out of Bitterwood without Regulus noticing."

"Wait- we're _kidnapping_ him? And who the bloody hell is Regulus?"

"To the first one: yes, kind of. But it's for an excellent cause. And to the second, Regulus is Sirius's perfect little brother. He studies chemistry with Snivellus at the university."

 _You complete and total ass!_ James cursed himself as he saw Lily's pale face flush at the mention of Snape. _She's never going to get over him if you keep mentioning him in casual conversation!_ "Sorry," he said.

"It's fine," she said, shaking her head. James parked his minivan behind the gardener's shed and opened the door. "Let's go rescue Sirius."


	5. Bitterwood's Bitter Occupants

**Sorry about the wait, I've been really uninspired lately, not to mention painfully busy with homework and Driver's Ed and yikes with the boy and such. But you know what inspires me and gets me writing? Reviews! I know you guys get tired of hearing authors say they want reviews, but feedback is truly one of the building blocks of inspiration! Please consider telling me what you think! Thank you, loves! I hope you have a phenomenal day!**

Bitterwood Manor's door creaked.

Actually, just about everything in Bitterwood creaked. The floor, the stairs... it seemed everything was conspiring against Lily to get her caught and arrested.

 _No school will hire a teacher with a breaking-and-entering charge!_ Lily thought, panicking. She whispered to James, "Are you _sure_ Regulus is upstairs?"

He laid a reassuring hand on her forearm. "Yes. Sirius isn't in the same wing as Regulus. As long as you keep clear of…"

Unfortunately for Lily, she was distracted by the goosebumps racing up her arm from James's touch, and didn't hear James's warning about where Regulus was.

"Let's split up. We'll find Sirius quicker that way."

 _Did James say that Sirius was in the left wing? Or was it Regulus?_

She decided to take her chances with the left. Tiptoeing down the corridor, Lily took in the decór- every bit as ghastly and gaudy as the outside had been. There were mounted animal heads on the wall, a row as far down as she could see. On the left hand side, a door to a room stood open. Lily's curiosity got the best of her, and she pushed the door open.

The only furnishing it contained was a wall-tapestry. Intrigued, Lily crept into the musty old room, eyes darting from wall to wall, eyes soaking up the intricate weavings of the ancient wall-hanging. _There are burn marks all over it,_ Lily thought curiously. _I wonder why?_

Just then, Lily caught sight of a name she recognized- a name with a burn mark where a face once was. She was sickened. _His own mother burned him off the family tree. James was right. We need to get him out of here._ With new resolve and a quick step, Lily exited the room determinedly.

Unfortunately, she didn't get far. She was knocked to the ground by a tall, thin body, and she looked up at a face she had hoped to never see again.

"Lily! What the bloody hell are you doing here?" asked a confused Severus Snape.

"I was just- I don't have to explain anything to you!"

"Actually, you do," Snape said, stepping closer to Lily. "You're sort of breaking and entering, Lily."

"It was- don't call me Lily, you son of a- why are _you_ here, anyway?"

"I'm friends with Regulus."

"Of course you are," Lily said contemptuously.

Snape stepped closer again. "Don't use that tone with me, Lily. You know why I did what I did. It was all for you. I was trying to _protect_ -"

Lily scoffed. "Oh, sure you were. You betrayed me and called me that- that name because you _cared_ for me!"

"Lily-blossom, don't twist my words like that!"

"Don't you dare call me Lily-blossom ever again!"

 _SMACK_! Lily's small red handprint stood out against Snape's sallow skin. Touching his face, Snape looked like he was about to start pleading again, but before he could start, a cocky, jovial voice rang out from behind him- the voice of James Potter.

"Well, Lily-blossom, I would say I didn't think you had it in you, but I have been on the receiving end of that slap, and I have to say, it hurts like a-"

Ignoring James's statement, Snape leaned closer to Lily. "Why are you travelling with that contemptible-"

Lily lifted her head, ready to turn her back on Snape. "Because some people, Snivellus, are not what they seem. I think we all know that." Spinning on her heel, she turned to walk down the corridor. A new laugh joined James's from down the hall. Between chuckles, the rich tenor of Sirius's voice called out to Snape, "I'm leaving, Snivellus! I would say it's been a pleasure having you here, but I'm afraid I was never much of one the lies and etiquette of the elite. Tell my dear mother I won't be back for summer break!"

Staring with disgust at the three people at the end of the hallway, Snape called over his shoulder. "Hey, Regulus, you might want to see this!"

Sirius paled. "Crap. He'll call Kreacher."

Lily looked at Sirius curiously. "Who's Kreacher?"

"Joseph Kreacher is our groundskeeper. He's bloody fast and knows the estate left and right- and he'll do anything for my mother, who wants me to stay home so I can suffer, and thus, he would do anything for her favorite child. Actually, I think he might have a thing for her, but-"

A thin voice rang down the hall, and the silhouette of a thin teenager was illuminated from the stained-glass window at the end of the hall. "Kreacher! Stop them!"

Sirius tugged on James's wrist. "We have to get out of here, and fast. Kreacher knows everything about this dump, and the only way we'll get out is if we have a head start. Where's Bertha?"

"I parked her behind the gardener's shed."

"Well, we'd better get a move on. Kreacher's on the prowl, and very little goes by him. Let's go."

James grabbed Lily's wrist and her arm once again erupted in goosebumps. _Now is not the time for this! I have to be quiet, be focused-_ For the second time that day Lily ran into someone and was nearly knocked over. This time, however, Lily felt herself sinking into a broad chest and the welcome feeling of being pressed against another warm body made her feel secure and happy- _Ew! This is Potter we're talking about! Pull yourself together, Lily! Focus!_

Shaking her unwelcome emotions away, Lily pushed herself away from James to find Sirius peeking around a corner.

"He's gone to the menagerie! We have to make a run for it, now!"

"You guys have a menagerie?" Lily asked incredulously.

"Evans, now is not the time for questions! Kreacher will be back any minute and we have to run three hundred yards at full speed to get to Bertha. Are you ready?"

"Oh, I was born ready, Black!"

James whispered in her ear, "Last one to the van has to buy the next milkshakes!"

Sirius tugged on James's sleeve. "He's coming back! We have to go now!"

James began to count. "On your mark, get set, go!"

The three teenagers bolted out from the cellar door. Behind them, Lily could hear the shouts of a man, presumably Kreacher. _I will not let this abusive ass catch ME!_ She pushed her legs to their full range, pleading with them to go faster. Overtaking James, she could see Bertha behind the gardener's shed.

"Young hooligans, befouling the ancestral home of my mistress with their liberal ideals!"

Lily smirked and screamed over her shoulder, "Damn right!" She climbed into the van, and she and Sirius shouted for James to run faster.

Kreacher drew closer as James hopped into the driver's seat.

"Go, go go!" Sirius screamed from the back seat. James put the keys in the ignition and the engine sputtered and died. "Now is not the time! Bertha!" he yelled at the car. He tried again, and this time, with Kreacher less than ten yards from the van, the engine struggled to life.

"FLOOR IT!" Sirius yelled from the back of the car. James did just that, and with a mighty lurch, the van flew out from behind the gardening shed. Sirius got up and opened the sunroof. Standing with with his top half outside the car, he gave a one-fingered salute to the outlines of two teenagers in Bitterwood Manor's window. Spreading his arms elatedly, Sirius gave a genuine laugh- a laugh so infectious that Lily started to laugh along with him. She kicked her shoes off, put her feet on the dashboard, turned to a smiling James, and spoke.

"You owe me a milkshake."


	6. In Which Bertha Screws Everyone Over

**Once again, I'm so sorry it took a while for this chapter. But I've been so uninspired! Please send suggestions and feedback! I love everything I get, and it means so much to me.**

 **Anyhow, everything's about to get super awkward and fun. Hope you enjoy. Please tell me with reviews!**

Sirius stepped out of the back of Bertha, spreading his arms in elation. "Here we are," he exclaimed in satisfaction. "York Minster."

James stepped out from an information kiosk, his nose buried in a pamphlet. "It says here York Minster was built in 627 AD as a place to baptize some royal prick."

Sirius frowned. "I suppose it was rebuilt? Gothic architecture didn't gain popularity until the twelfth century. And this is definitely a Gothic cathedral."

James frowned at the pamphlet. "Yeah, it was burned down a couple of times." He looked up. "Where'd Lily go?"

But Sirius was too far away to hear. At the sight of his best friend alight with the joy of being near the thing he loved most, James's mouth quirked up at the corner. _Poor bloke. I'm glad he won't have to stay with those plonkers again…_

James ambled around, trying to catch a glimpse of Lily. _Where is she?_ On his third trip around the cathedral, a flash of red hair caught his eye by a side altar. He strolled over to her, reluctant to disturb the peaceful Lily he saw kneeling before the statue of a lady.

"Hi, Lily," he murmured, smiling slightly when he saw her start. He gestured to the candles and altar before Lily. "Um, we're not very religious. Would you explain what all of this is?"

Lily smiled at him. "I'm not all that religious either, but my mum was." She motioned to the statue. "This is St. Cecilia," she said, gazing forlornly at the candles. "She was my mum's patron saint."

 _Was?_

"Lily, I don't mean to pry, but, um, you talk about your mum in the past tense?"

 _Smooth. That made her feel really good, James._

Lily got off her knees and held out her hands to James, leading him to a pew. "Last year, the day after Sev, um, said his part, my mum and dad were in a car accident on the way to pick me up from the train in Exeter. My mum was driving, and the driver's side was hit by a man who had lost control of the brakes. She was killed instantly."

James put his hand over hers. "Lily, I am so sorry."

"My dad received severe spinal damage, and he can't walk anymore, and he obviously can't drive. So now I have to bum rides off of bums like you," she said, smiling a little and nudging him playfully.

James turned to her and smiled. "Ma'am, let me remind you that-"

James heard footsteps behind him. A hand gripped his shoulder. "Right, mate, we need to leave. Like, right now."

James turned around so quickly his neck cracked. Massaging the offending muscle, he asked, "Why?"

"I-" He frowned at the two. "Are you two holding hands?"

Lily yelped and withdrew her tiny fingers from where they had been interlaced with his. "No!" she gulped, before standing up and putting on her bomber jacket. "Why do we have to leave, Sirius? We got here not fifteen minutes ago!"

Sirius wrung his hands uncomfortably. "I was going up to the altar to see how the architect built the organ into the wall, right? But the priest left some of the wine out and I just thought-"

Lily yelped again. "You _stole_ the _communion wine?!"_

Sirius looked away. "I didn't steal it! I was really thirsty, so I took a bit of a swig and the custodian caught me and he said he'd call the police, so we need to get out of here. Like, _right now._ "

James could hear Lily muttering several unpleasant adjectives under her breath about what Sirius could do with his drinking habit. Smiling crookedly, James extended his arm to Lily and bowed. "May I escort you out, my lady?"

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at Lily. Blushing profusely, Lily lifted her nose and headed for a side exit. Sirius held his hand to his heart and assumed an expression of extreme indignance. "I thought _I_ was your queen."

Laughing at the expression on his best friend's face. "Fine, _your highness._ Let's go before the police arrive."

XXXX

Lily pulled out her phone once they had reached the street. _I haven't called Mar since last night!_ Lily thought frantically. _She must be worried sick!_

Pulling her name up out of the contacts list. Lily anxiously awaited the voice of her best friend on the other side.

"Lily? Lily-blossom? Is that you?"

"Yes, Mar, it's me. I'm sorry I haven't called, I've been a bit busy, um, doing things."

"Oh, I'm sure you have, Jellybean. Is things James Potter?"

"Marlene Evelyn Lewis, you know very well that would _never, ever happen!"_

"Sure, sugarplum. Whatever you say. So what's your cover story?"

"There is no cover story, since nothing happened. But what we've done, if that's what you're asking, in your wonky way, is a bit on the, er, illegal side."

"I expected nothing less from James Potter."

"You knew and you didn't tell me?!"

"Lily, my star, we run the same aviation course. I have seen James Potter do everything from set fire to the professor's projector to create an elaborate trap that sent a particularly nasty exam flying out the window. When I heard you would travel with James, I knew something odd would happen. So, tell me of your dastardly deeds. Let me live vicariously through your misadventures, my darling."

"Well, I slept in a minivan that is barely comfortable enough to ride in, kidnapped Sirius from his own house, got kicked out of a cathedral because Sirius drank the communion wine, and am now standing outside a car mechanic's because this blasted minivan won't heat up in the dead on an English winter."

"It's good you're expanding your horizons, marshmallow."

"Sure, if you call expanding horizons committing felonies."

"Live while you're young, dear."

"The boys are coming back. I have to go. Love you, Marlene."

"Love you too, Lily-blossom. Call me tonight."

"I will."

Lily hung up, and as soon as she did, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to find a smiling James Potter with a Styrofoam cup in each hand.

"Here's the milkshake I owe you, Lily-flower. They didn't have caramel, so I gave it my best shot."

Lily took a cautious sip of the shake. "Mocha?" she asked, eyeing his nervous look. "That's lovely, James, thank you."

James looked elated. He turned to Sirius. "I hope the hotel is in town, because the mechanic says he won't have it finished until tomorrow."

Sirius grimaced. "It's about an hour and a half to the west. You call to cancel, and I'll look around for another place.

"Deal."

XXXX

Sirius came back about fifteen minutes later with two hotel keys in hand. "Right, so here's the dig-"

Lily eyed Sirius suspiciously. "There had better be another key in that fancy leather jacket, Black."

Sirius smiled in a fashion Lily assumed he thought was winning. "Ah, Lily dear, that's the catch. These rooms right here are the only two left in town. There's a Christmas music festival going over on the Shambles and everyone's in town to see it. I'm afraid we've caught the last two."

"Well, you and James can share, then."

Sirius smiled again. "I sleep with James every night, and there is no way I will put up with that outside of the dorm. Sorry, sister," he said, winking at her, then went running off in the direction he came from.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" Lily yowled, and began to run after him.

Behind her, James smiled at the sky. Sirius was a fast runner. He'd be in his room and absorbed in his design program by the time she made it. Shaking his head at his best friend's antics, he pulled both his dark blue suitcase and Lily's purple floral one out of Bertha's trunk, and began the long haul to Stonegate Lane.

XXXX

Lily and James both stared at the bed, arms crossed. Lily spoke first.

"There is no way I'm sleeping in there with you."

"Well, maybe there's no way _I'm_ sleeping in there with you."

"Isn't it gentlemanly to let ladies sleep where it's comfortable?"

"It's a good thing I've never cared much for rules, then," James replied, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Rock, paper, scissors. Two out of three."

 _One, two three, shoot._ James won with paper. Lily steeled herself, and they went again.

 _One, two, three, shoot._ Lily won with scissors.

 _One, two, three, shoot._ Lily won again with paper. "You get the bed, then," James said grudgingly. "I'll sleep in the bathtub."

Lily smiled crookedly. James shot a pair of sad hazel eyes her way. _No, Lily, stay strong. Just because he's attractive doesn't mean-_

Lily tossed a pillow and the comforter at James. "I'm taking a shower. No peeking,"

James bowed. "Now, milady, would I ever?"

XXXX

Lily was lying in bed, staring at the ceiling when James spoke for the first time.

"Lily?"

"What, Potter?"

"It's really wet in here."

Lily stayed silent.

"And my neck hurts from sleeping sitting up in Bertha."

Lily smiled, but still remained quiet.

"I'm going to be really grouchy tomorrow if I'm cold and wet. Can I please sleep in the bed?"

Lily sighed, sat up, and turned the light on, exposing her flannel sheep pajamas. "Okay, but you have to stay on _your side of the bed!_ "

James was up and had jumped on the right side of the bed before she even finished talking. He burrowed under the covers and wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I know I can, but can you?"

"Potter, you disgust me." She turned the light off. "Good night."

"Lily?"

"What, Potter?"

"Today, at Bitterwood, when you said that I wasn't what I seemed, did you really mean it?"

Lily flipped around so she was facing him. His face was alarmingly close to hers, yet she didn't feel uncomfortable. _I've never seen James without his glasses on…_

"Lily?"

She studied him. "Yes, I did mean it."

He smiled softly.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Good night, James."

"Good night, Lily."


	7. Lily's Revelation

**I'm going to update now so I can spend the rest of my Friday evening guiltlessly rewatching Agent Carter. So here you guys go.**

 **I got some wonderful reviews last time! Thank you so much to those who contributed, it means so much. I hope you guys enjoy! Please, please review! I want to hear what you guys thought of this chapter.**

James woke up and nuzzled his head closer to the soft neck of a redheaded girl. He pulled her waist closer to him and took in the scent of her hair. _What is that? Strawberries?_

His eyes shot open. _Oh, no._

He stared at a hand on her waist. _Is that mine?_ One, two, three, four, five- he lifted his fingers off of their resting place, praying that she hadn't woken up. She exhaled and turned to face him. James froze. She hummed in her sleep and snuggled up to James.

James would not have been more surprised if she had grown an extra limb. He stayed frozen, his mind racing.

 _What does this mean? About me? For us? Is this subconscious or was it an accident or is she just cold or what do I do, this is so stressful, where's my inhaler, dammit-_

James twisted around to where he could reach his toiletry kit on the nightstand. _Chin up, press down, breathe in…_

As James's lungs calmed down, his mind began to clear. He sat his inhaler on the nightstand and settled in beside Lily, he decided to enjoy Lily's affection while it lasted.

 _But isn't this taking advantage of her? She's asleep, she can't make these decisions. And I strongly doubt she would want to cuddle with me._ He sighed, sat up, detangled himself from Lily and moved towards the bathroom to start his morning.

XXXXXXX

Lily stumbled out of bed a little while later, ruffling her hair and pulling nervously on her overlarge flannel pajamas.

"James? Where are you?"

James turned around from where he had been standing at the bathroom sink, brushing his teeth. Lily caught her breath. He was wearing a thin white t-shirt and jeans, his hair sticking out all over the place, wet from the shower. Lily could see every muscle on his arms. As she walked nearer, she could see his glasses were crooked, and the scent of his citrus shampoo intoxicated her. She wanted to trace her fingers up his chest and shoulders, and press kisses on his lips, not chapped like most boys, but smooth and red…

James smiled when he saw her, which was a bad decision, as his mouth was full of toothpaste froth. His eyes widened as he bent over the sink to spit it out, and Lily's reverie was broken by James's antics. Oddly enough, she found herself admiring him in a different way, a way she had tried not to notice for the last three years- his ability to make her laugh.

She leaned on the bedpost and smiled at him- an open, genuine smile. James turned around red in the face, wiping his face on a towel.

James smiled slightly. "Well, after that unfortunate greeting-"

Lily laughed. "I thought it was funny. Not a mean funny, just a nice way to wake up."

"Well, you can wake up with me any time, Evans," James smirked.

Lily turned away. "You're intolerable, Potter." But she felt herself smiling slightly. Walking over to the nightstand, she picked up James's inhaler. "You're asthmatic, Potter?"

James strode out of the bathroom, blushing slightly. "My lungs are weak. Let me live."

Lily smiled at him, her eyes crinkling. "I wasn't making fun, I just didn't peg you for having weak lungs, Potter."

"Why not? Because I'm handsome and fit?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sure, kid. Whatever floats your boat."

She gathered up a pair of jeans, two socks (not matching) and a sweater, and headed to the bathroom, shutting the door. "So, Potter, what's the master plan?"

Shrugging on a flannel from the outside room, James's strong voice rang out. "Well, we're actually going to head towards Exeter today- we need to go a bit fast and stop a bit less- there's some nasty weather headed this way. But fear not, milady, I'm sure Sirius has some plans-"

Sirius burst into the room. 'Did someone say Sirius Black?"

"Um, no I just said your first- have you been waiting out there until one of us said your name?"

"Maybe. Or maybe you invoking the name of his Royal Highness, Lord Sirius, Ph. D., Architect Extraordinaire, just summons me."

"I definitely didn't say that."

"Well, you said part of it, so it kind of counts. Anyway, what's crackalackin'?"

"Please do not say that ever again. Anyway, what if you'd been _interrupting something?"_ James looked pointedly at Sirius.

Lily emerged from the bathroom in a burgundy sweater and her hair in a braid. "As if, Potter."

Sirius howled. "She told you, boy!"

"Rude."

Still cackling with laughter, Sirius slung his arm around James. Between laughs, he managed to gasp, "So, mate, what's the plan?"

"I was checking the radar this morning and it looks like some unfortunate weather is headed towards us. We're leaving as soon as we get packed up."

Lily zipped up her purple suitcase. "I just finished, guys. I'm going to call Marlene, would one of you take my stuff out to Bertha when you go?"

Sirius saluted. "Will do, Your Highness."

Lily bowed to Sirius. "Thank you, kind sir."

James hollered at her retreating form. "How come he gets a bow and a smile when he calls you nice names and I don't?"

"Because he isn't an insufferable twat when he does it!"

Sirius chuckled again and clapped James's back. "You've got a long way to go, Prongs."

"Not so far as you think- get this, she was _checking me out_ this morning."

"I highly doubt that. However, in the rare case that you were right, how did you deal with it?"

"I accidentally spit toothpaste all over my shirt."

"You have a long way to go, my young padawan."

"Sirius, if anyone's the padawan, it's you."

"Not true!"

"I'm taking the stuff out to Bertha. We _will_ continue this later."

"Oh, you can count on it."

XXXXXX

"Hey, Mar."

"Hey, Lily-blossom."

"Marlene, when will you run out of nicknames?"

"When there are no more words in the English language. Then I'll move to French. Then I'll move to Italian. Then Spanish. Then-"

"Okay, okay, I get the point!"

"You obviously don't, songbird, since you ask every two weeks."

"Anyways, I wanted to ask you something."

"Shoot, girl."

"I think I might maybe like James Potter."

"Well, most people do. He's a lovable rogue, a handsome delinquent- he's Robin Hood. He pranks the pretentious to help the plebeians laugh."

"No, Mar, I might _like_ like James.

Marlene gasped. "Lily, you had better not be pulling my leg, I swear-"

"Marlene, I swear on the Pact of the Sisterhood that I am not pulling your leg."

A loud thump came from the other side of the call- Marlene had flopped on the ground. "This is big."

"Yeah. There's just one problem."

"What?"

"He doesn't like me."

Marlene snorted. "What on Earth made you believe that?"

"He ran away from me this morning."

"He was probably tired-"

"We were in the same bed."

"WHAT?!"

"Not like that! Sirius could only get two rooms and he barricaded himself in one of them- I know, I banged on the door for ten minutes- so we had to share the same room. He was going to sleep in the shower, but I had taken one and he was complaining about how wet and cold it was, so I guess I felt bad for his and let him sleep in the bed with me- just to shut him up, mind you, I had no immoral intentions- and I woke up and his hand was on my waist and he was so _warm_ and I felt so _safe_ so I snuggled closer to him and he got up and moved away."

Marlene whistled. "That was some story, pumpkin."

"It's true."

"I believe you."

"So how do I get over him?"

"Slow down, Lils! You don't need to get over him so fast- enjoy being around a guy you like for a little while. Who was the last guy you liked? Fabian Prewett, when we were sophomores! Let loose! Live a little!"

"Why would I spend my precious self-esteem and emotions pining after someone who could never like me back?"

"I wouldn't say that, my dear. Not in the slightest."

"Marlene- what does that mean?! What does that MEAN?!"

Lily shut her phone off angrily- Marlene had hung up. Stomping angrily into the building, she didn't see a lithe figure hide behind a blue Toyota. Fuming, she went to go find James.

Sirius peeked out from behind the car. Having heard every word, he chucked and began plotting the events of the day.

 _They'll be together before the trip is over._


	8. Lily's Anti-Revelation

**Alright, I'm not terribly happy with this chapter. But I'm sorry I was off for so long, I've had a lot of school stress, as well as some unwanted family stuff that's been making my life a bit difficult. But here's some fluff to make up for it! I hope you guys enjoy it! Well, either way, I'd love to hear from you guys about what you want to have happen, what you like and don't like, you know. Please just give me feedback. I want to hear about what I'm doing good and what I could be doing better. Help me improve! Here you guys go. Thank you for being so patient with me while I sort out my mess.**

The ride away from York was tense. Everyone seemed on edge. Even Sirius was brooding in Bertha's back row, headphones on and ignoring everything around him.

Lily wasn't much better. Nervously tapping her hands on the console beside her, she continuously checked her phone for any messages from Marlene.

 **7:32 a.m: Marlene, you had better tell me what you mean, or so help me…**

 **7:36 a.m: Marlene, I swear…**

 **7:40 a.m: That was just a joke, right?**

 **7:42 a.m: RIGHT?!**

 **7:49 a.m: Marlene Evelyn Lewis, I swear to whatever deity is watching over me…**

 **7:53 a.m: And by watching over me, I mean he's neglecting me, because he left me with shoddy mates like YOU!**

 **7:56 a.m: Mar, you had better have a decent excuse for ignoring me.**

 **7:58 a.m: I am this close making James drive back to Kellynch so I can scream throughout the commons that you once snogged Amos Diggory in the closet off the Chem lab.**

 _7:58 a.m: You wouldn't._

 **7:58 a.m:** **I am desperate and my moral code has therefore abandoned me. Nothing is below me at this time.**

 _7:59 a.m: I don't believe you._

 **8:00 a.m: Would you like to find out?**

 _8:01 a.m: You're too nice to do something like that._

 **8:02 a.m: I have nothing to lose and everything to gain, Marlene.**

 _8:03 a.m: What are you asking about anyway?_

 **8:03 a.m: You know full well what I'm talking about.**

 _8:05 a.m: Oh, the thing I said about James. That was speculation. Probably._

 **8:06 a.m: In all the years I have met you, you have never once speculated. Everything you say is backed up with evidence.**

 _8:08 a.m: Well, I'm just saying, James sure paid a lot of attention to you our first years of college._

 **8:08 a.m: He clearly just wanted to make my life miserable! That means nothing!**

 _8:11 a.m: Sure, poppet. Whatever you say._

"Evans, whatever can you be so frantic about that your incessant tapping cuts through my noise cancelling headphones?"

Sirius's voice startled Lily, jumping so abruptly that her mobile flew over the seat into James's lap.

 _Oh, no._ She had to get it back before he saw the conversation-still open- on her phone. However, she would have to reach into his lap if she wanted it, and no matter how much she liked James, that was where she drew the line.

"Hand me my mobile, Potter."

"Back to Potter, are you? I would have thought that your night together would have put you two at least on a first name basis. Or are you a one and done kind of bird?"

 _And he's back to being insufferable._ Lily scoffed at Sirius. "As if I would ever sink so low as to sleep with _him_." She snatched her phone from where it was teetering precariously on James's knee. "I'll take that."

 **8:14 a.m: Never mind, I've changed my mind. Potter and Black are approximately twelve, and I don't need that in my life. Back to plan A- listen to music and ignore anything the bastard tries to say.**

Lily reached into her rucksack and extracted her earbuds. Connecting them to her phone, she relaxed into her seat, letting the music take her far away from the car- away from a space that was about to become a war zone.

"Bloody hell, Sirius. I was just about to get her on my side. She was _finally_ going to let me get close. And you have to go act like a bloody _seventh grader_ and ruin my work!" James hissed toward the back of the car.

"Who says she's even interested in you, mate?"

James twisted around in his seat. "What the hell? Why would you even _say_ that?"

 _8:16 a.m: That was rather abrupt, considering you were fawning over the bloke not thirty minutes ago. And didn't we agree to give the bloke a chance to get to know you?_

James glanced over to Lily, making sure she wasn't paying attention to his and Sirius's conversation.

"Sirius, you know what she means to me. This is my only chance to prove myself- she won't even look at me back on campus, especially after the whole tree thing. This is my one shot- and I am not throwing it away."

"Bloody hell, mate, do you think I'm trying to split you two up?"

 **8:18 a.m: We agreed to have a deal, and I haven't heard anything from you about what you've done about Alan.**

James took a deep breath. "Yes, I do. I think that you don't want me to get this off the ground, for whatever reason."

"That hurts, James."

"Well, I think we both know there's only one way to fix this." James took a sharp right into an oncoming exit, throwing Lily into the passenger door.

"Bloody hell, Potter, angry, much?" Lily said, rubbing her arm. "That hurt like a-"

"Sorry, Lil. Didn't mean to hurt you. Just looking for something Sirius and I need."

"What, a psychiatrist?"

 _8:24 a.m: Low blow, love. I will have you know that Alan has been holed up in the lab working on that damn robot since you left on Thursday. I saw him for Thai yesterday, but he hadn't slept and it didn't seem like the right time._

James chuckled mirthlessly. "Ha, ha. No, we're looking for something to settle our little spat."

"What spat?"

"You were busy blaring-" he leaned over to check- "the London Symphony to notice. Sirius and I exchanged words and now we need to- how do you say it?- deck it out."

Lily looked slightly alarmed. "I am _not_ mopping either of you up if you get out and start punching each other!"

James looked at her oddly. "Who said anything about punching?"

XXXXX

Click, clack, click _-_ _how long do table tennis tournaments last?_ Lily had been watching the little white ball go back and forth for the past forty minutes. The boys had stopped in a pub in a small town- Nanpantan, Lily thought she had seen, a little outside Loughborough. They had hunted for about twenty minutes until they had found what they wanted- a public place with a ping-pong table. And they were intense about it. The ball had dropped no less than three times during the entire match, and all the while, James and Sirius had been hissing back and forth at each other.

"You dare besmirch my honor?"

"Ha! As if you had any honor to stain!"

"Lord Black, I will have your head for this treason!"

"Lord Potter, I beg to differ!"

"You cannot escape the guillotine!"

"I am the one who _runs_ the guillotine, I will have you know!"

"Why, because you _butcher_ _everything_?"

"I prefer to think that I am _killing it!"_

Click, clack, click- Sirius finally let the ball slip past him. He pushed his silky black hair away from his eyes and let his paddle drop. He looked across the table at James, who was still crouched in a defensive position, his suspicious eyes fixed on Sirius.

And Sirius spoke. "I was wrong, mate. I'm sorry. You know I would never hurt you, or anything that's important to you. I mean, you broke me out of my own house, for God's sake. You're my brother, and brother's get jealous. I'm sorry I tested you."

 _Never hurt him or anything that's important to him? Wow, I must have missed one hell of a fight._

James dropped his paddle and walked over to James. _If he's going to clock Sirius, I'm still not cleaning up the mess._

James embraced Sirius. "I know you didn't mean to, Sirius. We all get testy sometimes, and I reacted badly. I'm glad we sorted it out, though."

Lily smiled. "So, now that we're all alright again, shall we be on our way?" She slapped down a small bill for the lemonade she'd been drinking. "Let's go, chaps."

She pushed the door open and found herself facing a bitter cold and a blinding snowstorm.

XXXXX

James was worried. In the entire time they had been sitting at the bench of the Three Broomsticks, Lily had only picked at the steak pie in front of her and had downed two whiskeys-neat. She was already rather small, and with nothing in her stomach, James watched her slip more and more towards intoxication. As she raised her hand for another round, James took her glass out of her hand.

"Maybe we should take a bit of a break, yeah?" James said, helping her off her stool. There's a band playing. Dance with me."

Lily stumbled a bit. "Can't. Lightweight."

James laughed. "Yeah, I can tell. You needn't hold yourself up, I'll support you."

The two of them moved towards the dance floor. Lily tried to wrap her arms around James's neck, but she was a slightly too short to reach him. Chuckling slightly, he lifted Lily up onto his toes and let her sink into the crook of his shoulder. He buried his nose in her hair, breathing in the scent he hadn't been able to get out of his mind since that morning. _I wonder if she knows…_

James saw Sirius wink at the bartender, leaning over the counter to kiss her cheek. Threading his way through the couples, Sirius finally edged over to where James was slowly dancing he and Lily around.

"Right, so here's the gig: the pub is flooded over with snowbound travelers, but though my- ah, _assets-_ "Sirius wiggled his eyebrows at James, who in turn rolled his eyes-" I have convinced Rosmerta to let us have two rooms." He turned to Lily. "Now, I am willing to bunk with James this time-"

Lily murmured into James's flannel-clad shoulder. "No, want to stay with James."

James was so surprised he nearly dropped her.

"Are you sure, Lily?"

"You're warm."

Sirius chuckled. "Well, since that's sorted out, I have other matters to-ah, _attend to._ You lot are 223, have fun getting her up that staircase, it looks like murder."

Lily buried her head in his neck. "Tired. Time to go upstairs."

It took approximately three steps to know that Lily was not in any fit shape to walk, especially if the stairs were anything like Sirius reported. Picking her up bridal-style, he started the arduous journey to the second floor.

XXXX

He sat her down outside the door. "Lily, are you sure you want me in here? I'm perfectly willing to stay with Sirius, or to sleep on the couch downstairs-"

She cut him off, but not how he had expected. Her soft red lips met his, sweet, like strawberries. Round and smooth, it was like nothing he had ever imagined- and he'd had a lot of time to think about it. He pulled away abruptly. She pouted at him. "Why?"

"Lily, you know I would. But you're drunk, and I don't think you'd be making the same decision if you were at your usual level. I'm not going to take advantage of you."

She tugged him into the room. "Shh. Time to sleep."

He averted his eyes as she pulled out her pajamas- the same flannel sheep-printed ones she had been wearing yesterday. She felt her tug his arm, yawning. "Good night, James."

He smiled at the young lady laying in the bed. He climbed in beside her and kissed her forehead.

"Good night, Lily-flower."


	9. Bertha Screws Everyone Over Again

**I'm so sorry it's been so long since I updated. I'm not going to defend my behavior (actually I am) but I have been terribly busy. Any writing time I had was devoted to my research essay for class, so this got put on the back burner. Not to mention, I have been dreadfully uninspired, and kind of depressed. Lots of family stress and school stress and friend stress and romance stress, and my life has kind of been turned upside down lately. But my essay is in and I'm on break now, so I hope to have several chapters out in the coming weeks. Thank you all for sticking with me while I get myself together, and thank you for being supportive and kind! Please review, and I thank you all again!**

It seemed to James that the trip to Exeter was an odd mix of carefree moments and uncomfortable car rides. Unfortunately, it seemed James was doomed to the latter half at the moment.

He squinted to see his way through the snow-filled landscape, the snow itself still falling. His mind wandered back to Lily's kiss in front of their room. He couldn't tell if Lily remembered anything about the night before. James had once again woken with his arm around Lily's waist, and, once again, he had removed himself from the situation before she had stirred.

He didn't even know what it meant for the two of them. Was it an accidental kiss created only through her muddled mind? Or was it something from the back of her mind, acted on with the encouragement of alcohol? What if she felt the same way he did? What if-

 _No, James. You'll overexcite yourself, and Sirius will tease you for using your inhaler, and Lily will look over at you with that sparkle in her eye, and she'll tilt back her head to laugh, and you'll need the inhaler even more. Then Sirius will make even_ more _fun of me, and he'll tell Remus, and Remus will tell Pete, and Pete will tell that creepy French friend of his, and I'll be shamed forever. Calm down, James, calm down…_

He couldn't resist; he glanced over at Lily. He could hear the faint strains of Stravinsky's _The Rite of Spring_ (which he only knew because he went to see her play in the university's orchestra when they were sophomores) coming from her headphones. She looked more relaxed than she had all of the morning, or even the day before. He smiled a bit at her choice- classical music.

He wondered why she hadn't gone into music herself. She was an incredibly gifted French horn player, he knew. He had sat in the music building for hours when he was a junior, listening to her play in the practice room while he tried to work up the courage to ask her to a dance. He had been a percussionist in grade school, and he was not awful himself. But he knew talent when he heard it, and Lily had it. So why had she gone into education?

"Hey, mate, what's that squealing noise?"

James snapped out of his reverie and tried to identify the sound Sirius claimed he had heard.

"You're losing it, mate, there's no noise-"

Then he heard it.

"No, no, _no!_ " he moaned. "Now is _not_ the time, Bertha!"

Lily popped one earbud out. "What's going on, James?"

 _She called me James…_

"Prongs! Now is _not_ the time to get sentimental!" Sirius hollered from the backseat, now having to yell over the loud squealing that seemed to be coming from under the hood.

James scowled and flushed. "Shut _up_ , Padfoot! I'm pulling over, calm down!"

"What the bloody hell is going on here?" Lily yelled.

James pulled to the side of the highway and watched the smoking engine. "Bertha has decided that right now, in the middle of the snowy English countryside, is a good time to shut down and stop working.

Lily began to swear. "Bloody hell, Potter, you said your junk heap of a car could get me back to Exeter, not strand me to a cold and miserable death in the middle of bloody nowhere!"

James swiveled to look at Lily. "Do you think I planned this? I don't want to be here anymore than you do!"

"Oh, yeah, because you didn't think this was going to happen. Tell me, how long has it been since you've _kidnapped_ a girl for Christmastime, eh? Is this a holiday tradition? Taking girls away from their families on weeklong odysseys in the British countryside? Were you going to try to convince me to rob a bank while we're out, too?"

"Ha-bloody-ha-ha. I bet _you-_ "

"SHUT UP!" Lily and James turned around to see a fuming Sirius Black in the back row of the van. "Arguing about what happened to the van isn't going to help anyone. Someone needs to call the company to get the engine fixed before we all freeze to death. Although, I suppose I'd rather be _dead_ than hear you two bickering the rest of the time!"

Lily and James turned away, feeling ashamed. "I'm sorry, Lily."

Lily scoffed. "What are you sorry for? I'm the one who accused you of kidnapping me.

He laughed. "Yes, I suppose you did."

Sirius cleared his throat. "Not that I'm not glad that you two are warming up the apology engines, but maybe you should call a cab, or a tow truck, Prongs."

"Yeah, yeah."

XXXXXXXX

Two hours had passed. The three young students were running out of ideas for entertainment, and night was quickly approaching. The temperature had dropped in the van so that Lily's cheeks and nose clashed violently with her red hair, and all three could see their breath in the air before them. Sirius had dropped off to sleep quickly after Lily began to blast Tchaikovsky out of her phone, complaining loudly before doing so that she had the musical preferences of a hundred-and-fifty-year-old woman ("Give me some upbeat music, Lily! Something I can dance to!" "Excuse me, 1812 Overture is very danceable!" "Sure, if you're in a ballroom and a stiff collar!")

Lily and James had moved back a row to share body warmth with Sirius, who James claimed was a human radiator. Lily rubbed her hands together in a vain attempt to warm them. "Didn't you say the truck way supposed to be here an hour ago?"

"Yeah. But it's slow driving with all the buildup."

Lily laughed drily. "So this is how I die. I always thought I would die doing something noble and valiant, like saving a priceless piece of stolen art, or protecting a kid from a crazy shooter. But nope, I am going to freeze to death in a forty-year-old van."

James took his scarf off and looped it around her neck. "I'm sorry this has turned into such a ordeal for you, Lily. When I said I meant for this to be a trip you'd never forget, I didn't actually mean to keep you from your family."

Lily laughed gaily. "It's alright, James. My father can last a few more days without me. Besides, I've rather enjoyed our… misadventures."

James tried not to think about the implications of what she said. _Could she just mean the trips, or could she mean the other things?_ He pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the former part of her statement. "Crap, you're right! Your dad needs you at home, and soon. I'll drive really fast tomorrow, I swear, and we'll get there early, and-"

Lily laughed. "James! Calm down. I called my dad when you were out looking at the engine. My darling Petunia has deigned to come down from her high wedding horse to look after my dad for a few days."

"Petunia's your sister, right?"

"Yes, and she's caught up in a haze of bridal gowns and wedding cakes right now. She's getting married on December 30th, and she's marrying the most _awful_ man- his name's Vernon, although my mum nicknamed him Vermin when he and Petty started to date."

"I suppose you're excited for the wedding? I know you don't get on quite so well with your sister, but his is a happy occasion for her. Right?"

"'Don't exactly get on well' is the understatement of the century, Potter. She hates that I got the scholarship to the University, and she's barely spoken to me since. Apparently I'm some sort of brainiac freak and she wants me to be normal like she is. Actually, as soon as I get home, I'm probably going to be treated to a tirade of how I have no plus one at her wedding and no boyfriend."

James edged closer to Lily. "Why don't I be your plus one?"

Lily stared at him. "What?"

"I'll be your plus one. You can bring me home and introduce me as your boyfriend, just to shut Petunia up. I'll hang around for the holidays, doing my boyfriend thing, then, after the wedding when we head back to school, you can make something up about how we broke up. But you won't have to deal with Petunia ragging on you about that, at least for now."

Lily didn't speak. "I mean, unless you don't want to-"

She cut him off. "No, that's not it at all! It's so generous of you, but I can't take you away from your family for the holidays, not when you've come so far."

James's mouth twisted into a smile. "I doubt they'll miss me."

"Of course they will, James, they love you!"

"Oh, they love me, alright, but they aren't home."

"What?"

"My dad's a journalist. He's in Italy until February covering the election riots. And my mum works for the government, she's in France doing God knows what until at least March."

"Why were you even coming home? I don't mean it rudely, but-"

"I came to get Sirius, then we'd go to my place for the holidays. But this is much better. If you'll have me."

"Of course I will. Oh, James, you are the most wonderful-" she exclaimed, flinging her arms around his neck.

James rested his chin on top of her head, and he heard her breathing grow steady. He threaded his fingers through her hair and smiled.

 _I'm getting there._


	10. Twenty Questions, Sort Of

**Ha, I told you all I'd get my act together! I am feeling infinitely better, and I hope to actually edit this draft, not send out the spitfire mess I gave you lot last time. I mean, I was just trying to get something out so you wouldn't start throwing eggs at my house in the dead of night or something.**

 **I'm a sucker for the fake dating AU, and I've been planning it for a little while, but what do you guys think? Please tell me what you think about where this is going and if you have any suggestions of criticism I'd be so happy to hear it! Thank you all for sticking around for my little tale!**

When Bertha finally got towed to town, the mechanic wasn't in. The trio could not find rooms at four in the morning, which was how the three of them ended up in a snoring pile on a cold mechanic's bench. James was barely awake, with Sirius snoring on his shoulder, mouth agape and drooling on the collar of James's aviator jacket. Lily was stretched out over the two of them, her legs draped unceremoniously across Sirius's lap and her head on James's knee.

He smiled down at her. She exhaled in little puffs from her nose, the cold air making her breath visible in the night air. He could count every freckle on her pale nose (there were twenty-six), and her mouth crooked up into a half-smile, the kind she used when she had beat him in a psych test.

His favorite thing about her, though, was that she was still wearing his scarf.

XXXXXX

"Who the bloody hell are you lot?"

Lily tranquilly rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms out, only to be thrown unceremoniously from her spot on the bench.

"What the-"

Lily picked herself up of the floor, trying to figure out what had pushed her off the bench. Her eyes found Sirius, who was also on the floor, but he was laughing his head off. _Couldn't have been him, then…_ She turned to see James on the bench, eyeing her warily, but eyes sparkling with laughter.

"You son of a-"

"I didn't mean to! One minute I was sleeping, then this guy was just _looming_ over me and he _yelled_ and I jumped, and now you two are sort of on the floor."

"I wouldn't call this _sort of_ on the floor, since my sore ass is _on the literal floor!_ "

"Look, I don't give a damn about how you three got dumped off the bench, I care about how you got there in the first place!"

The three students looked at each other, then at the mechanic. James spoke first.

"Our van broke down on the highway last night, and we didn't get pulled into the city until around four. We couldn't get a motel, so the guy with the tow truck said you probably wouldn't mind if we slept on your bench. I suppose he was wrong, so we're awfully sorry to have slept here without asking you."

He eyed them suspiciously. "Why were you kids out driving so late?"

"We're college students heading home for the holidays."

He chuckled. "Cutting it kind of close, aren't you?"

"It's only the twenty-second."

"Still." He stuck out his hand. "Name's Stebbins. I'll fix your van." He looked in Bertha's hood. "Has your van been smoking?"

"Yes, sir."

"This should be a fairly quick fix, then. Scoot off, kiddos, and come back around eleven. She'll be done by then."

"Will do."

XXXXXX

The three stepped out into the blinding sunlight, shielding their eyes and squinting at the sun. Sirius slapped James on the back.

"See you, mate, I'm going to find somewhere with free Wi-Fi, Remus is supposed to videochat me today."

Lily frowned as Sirius scampered off. "Where _is_ Remus? I haven't seen him for a couple of weeks."

Lily saw wrinkle lines appear on James's forehead. "He's in Australia. I'll tell you why another time." He looked at her and smiled a little, the worry lines disappearing from his face. "Now, come along, love, we have work to do."

Lily blushed as James took her hand and began to drag her down the street. "What are you talking about?"

He turned to her and smiled. "We have to iron out a few details if we're actually going to fool your sister into believing we're dating."

Lily recalled her impression of James at the beginning of the trip. _Potter does nothing halfway._ Her lips curled up one side of her mouth as she remembered. James smiled back at her, then returned to tugging her down the street.

"Come on, Evans, I'll buy you a milkshake."

XXXXXX

It had become warm enough to stay outside, so after James and Lily had found a shop that sold caramel milkshakes (it took four tries, thank goodness Birmingham had no shortage of ice cream shops), they moved to a small park with a snowy field. They laid on a bench in opposite directions, heads together, looking at the clouds and asking questions about each other.

"Favorite song, Evans?"

"Persichetti's _Parable._ Look, James, that cloud looks like Professor Slughorn's nose."

"Damn, it does."

"What about you?"

"Anything Van Halen."

"I should have guessed."

"Was it my spirited rendition of _Top of the World_ in the commons that gave it away? Or the time Sirius and I started to sing _Hot for Teacher_ when McGonagall was trying to give us a pop quiz?"

"Though those were both very good indicators, I was thinking more of the time I came to pick Remus up in the music wing and the four of you were playing _Jump_."

"That would be a sign." James propped himself up on his elbow and threw his finished strawberry milkshake into a nearby trash can. "There's one more thing that will completely convince Petunia that you haven't paid me to come to her wedding." He rummaged about in his rucksack, and pulled out a rather beat up brown box. He handed it to Lily. "Open it."

Lily looked at him suspiciously. "This isn't like when you gave me a box of cockroaches when we were freshmen, is it?"

James laughed. "Bloody hell, I'd forgotten about that. No, it's not. It's... well, open it, and you'll see."

Lily opened it. Inside was a delicate chain with three small, silver stars on it. She gasped. "James, where did you get this?"

He rocked back on his feet. "The night you ran after Sirius, I was stuck with two heavy suitcases, right? So I was just sort to ambling along, and I saw it in a store window. It reminded me of you, so I bought it. And," he said, looking smugly self-satisfied, "it just saved both of our arses, so I think I deserve a 'thank you, James'."

She laughed and hugged him, launching herself at him so that the two of them toppled into the snow. Chuckling merrily, James flipped the two of them over so he was laying above her, and reached over to get the box from beside her.

"Well, I think it's fair that your boyfriend should get to put a pretty necklace on his girlfriend." Lily nodded in agreement, still laughing from James's antics.

He brushed her scarlet curls aside and unlooped the scarf from around her neck, putting his hands behind her pale neck to fasten the clasp of the necklace. Suddenly, his hands seemed to turn to butter, unable to grasp the catch.

"Honestly, Potter, haven't you ever put a necklace on a lady before?" Lily teased, reaching behind her to do it herself. Their hands met in the middle, and for a moment, neither of them moved. Lily could feel his warm breath on her face, and she was suddenly very aware that she probably looked-and smelled- like she had slept on a bench last night- which, of course, she had. She rolled away, and whispered, "Thank you, James."

He smiled and whispered back, "Of course, Lily."

She stood up, put on her bomber jacket, and tossed his leather aviator's jacket back to him. "We'd better get going, it's nearly eleven." She picked up James's scarlet and gold scarf and put it on.

"Hey, that's my scarf," James teased.

"If you want it, you'll have to come and get it," Lily taunted, then tore towards the park gate.

James smiled, then ran after her, ready for the rest of the ride home with the most interesting girl in the world.


	11. Lily's Dad Is Cooler Than Everyone

**Hello, everyone! I'm really excited to be back and moving! Thank you for sticking with me while I sort myself out. Thank you to the anonymous reviewer who pointed out my inconsistency! You can see that despite my insistence on editing last chapter, I did not. Please, though, I love reviews, especially when you guys point out what I did! Don't feel like you have to be on anon, though! I won't hate you for it- in fact, I really appreciate positive feedback, whether it's a "love the story" or whether you point out my seasonal inconsistencies. Thank you so much for staying with me, and please review! I am so inspired by your reviews, and I hope you will drop me a line!**

James hadn't been this nervous since the first time he kidnapped Sirius from Bitterwood. But as he watched Lily's pale little hand reach up to knock the bright red door, his throat seemed to close up, and his hand darted out to grasp her wrist, stopping her just before her knuckle hit wood.

"Are you sure about this, Lil? I don't want to make you lie to your dad. Is getting Petunia worth it? We really don't have to, I can just say I was walking you to the door-"

"Potter, I didn't peg you for a wimp. Don't back out now."

"I wasn't-"

She laughed, she moved his hand off her wrist and interlaced it with her own. "I know, Potter. It's only a couple of weeks, then we can stop. Now, let me have the satisfaction of parading you about in front of my lovely sister."

She knocked, and James smiled. "I know you used to be this competitive and smug around me, but I had no idea it was with everyone. Guess I'm not as special as I thought I was. Ah, the fall from grace of the great Lily Evans…"

She elbowed his side, but still laughed. "I guess it's just you two who bring out the worst in me."

"I can't wait to see what the two of us together do, then."

A voice sounded from the behind the cherry door. "Is that my Lily-flower I hear? You needn't knock, just barge on in! Don't be a stranger in your own home, _mon chou_!"

"I lost my key, Dad."

"You never change, do you?" The door was wrenched open, and James caught a glimpse of a thin, balding man in a wheelchair before a mane of red hair obscured his face. A deep, throaty chuckle came from behind Lily's small form. "Lily, let me go so I can meet your guest!" Lily removed herself from the wheelchair and blushed.

"Oh. Right. Um, Dad, this is James."

"And is James your 'special friend'?" Mr Evans said, wiggling his eyebrows emphatically.

"Um, yeah."

Mr. Evans maneuvered himself around so he could face James directly. "Mr. Potter, I have heard perfectly dreadful things about you over the years. However did you convince my ridiculously stubborn daughter to date you?"

"Um…"

"Dad, don't make him uncomfortable in his first five minutes, he might decide I'm not worth it," Lily laughed, dragging James through the doorway into a small but cozy kitchen. James, still in shock, murmured, "You don't have to worry about that, Lily,"

Mr. Evans gave a great shout of laughter. "James, when I heard Lily was getting a ride home from college from you, the boy who gave a standup Van Halen concert in the middle of an exam, and the boy who skywrote a message himself to ask her out, and the boy who she had done nothing but nonstop complain over holidays for the past three years, I thought she was a lunatic. And I suppose I was right. You left over three days ago for a five hour journey, and you show up the day before Christmas Eve in a beat-up old van with a suspicious-looking character still inside. Who is he, anyways?"

"His name's Sirius. We sort of kidnapped him. But it was for good reason. He'll be going soon, the has a train to catch in Exeter."

Mr. Evans gave another great, booming laugh. "I'm glad you're expanding my daughter's horizons. Although, she's not all good, herself-"

Lily broke in. "Dad! We are not here to talk about my life in crime!"

"Another time, then. Normally, this is the point where the father asks about the boyfriend's intentions, but I trust my Lily-flower completely, and any man she picks is good enough for me. Welcome to the family, Mr. Potter." He reached out to grasp his hand, and James felt himself being enveloped in a warm hug. Unfortunately, this air of familial love ended with the click of heels on a hardwood floor.

"Um, who is this?"

James was released from Mr. Evans' tight grip and straightened his glasses. A bony, blonde woman wearing a pale pink dress came into view, and James repressed the need to wrinkle his nose at the amount of perfume she was wearing. The clicking came to an end as she planted her feet and turned to face Lily.

"You heard me. This was supposed to be a family Christmas, not you galavanting over Cokeworth and the surrounding county making mischief like you used to. We're supposed to be _together_. Who is he?"

Lily pursed her lips angrily. "I seem to remember a conversation with Dad where he mentioned Dursley coming over. What happened to 'family Christmas'? And since when have you cared about spending time with me?"

"Excuse me, Vernon is my fiance. We don't even know who he is, he could be a murderer, and we'll find ourselves dead in our beds!"

James butted in. "Considering you would be dead, I doubt you'd find yourself anywhere. Unless, of course you were in-"

He was cut off with another great laugh from Mr. Evans. "I knew I liked you, boy. Petunia, please be polite to Lily's guest and boyfriend, as well as her plus one to your wedding."

Petunia's mouth fell open. "B-b-boyfriend?"

James smiled winningly and stuck out his hand. "James Potter, at your disposal. Or to dispose of you, I suppose."

Petunia did not take his hand.

Lily, choking back laughter, tugged at his sleeve. "Come on, James. I'll show you your room."

"Vernon is going to sleep in the guest room, you'll have to put him in the garret!" Petunia yelled up the stairs after them.

Lily huffed angrily and stomped up. "Unfortunately, we have to heed her, because the spare room is going to be the only room in the house that'll actually fit Vermin in it. It's a good thing she's a stick, or they'd have to get a plus-sized bed."

She led him up a ladder, tugging his suitcase behind her. "It's chilly up here, I'll get you a couple of extra blankets later." She sat down on the ledge in front of the window. "You, my good sir, are brilliant. Petunia bought it completely- and you scandalized her to know end. Unfortunately, she'll start to think you're too attractive for me, and then the questions start."

James waved her aside. "Let me handle the questions. More importantly, you just said I was handsome."

Lily's face seemed to match her hair. "I did not! It was just sort of… implied."

James chuckled. "Even more importantly, how did you neglect to mention that your dad is literally the coolest guy to ever grace the face of the earth?"

She laughed. "Yeah, he is quite the character."

As if on cue, Mr. Evan's booming voice echoed up the staircase. "Lily, _mon fleur_ , the shaggy-haired child has exited the van! I can would normally shoo him, but he looks distressingly like I did at his age, so I haven't the heart. We could feed him-"

"We'll be down to take him to the station in a moment!" Lily sighed. "Where is Sirius going to go?"

James shrugged. "He'll probably crash at my place."

"Why don't you ask him to come over on Christmas Eve? He can stay the night and actually have people to spend time with."

James studied her. "I think he'd enjoy that."

"Lily, this boy is a miracle! He found my guitar, and he can play anything! He's saying that he has to go, but we can't let him! Clear out the closet, we're stuffing him in!"

Lily laughed. "We'd better go stop my dad before Sirius is kidnapped for the second time this week."

"Yeah, probably."

The two stood up, and James bowed and gestured to the door. "You first."

"Nah, go ahead. I'm going to call Marlene, and this is actually where you get the best cell reception."

"As you wish."

Lily waited until James was thundering down the stairs before she dialed Marlene.

"Lily, my love, did you finally make it home?"

"I did, Mar. And there's been an interesting new, ah, development."

"Fill me in on all the juicy gossip, sugar."

"James and I are dating."

"WHAT?! How did I MISS this? How long has this been going on?! Why idn't you tell me immediately? WHat-"

"It's not legit, Mar."

"What?"

"He offered to be my fake date to Petunia's wedding so she'll get off my back."

"Well, that was completely decent of him."

"I'm telling you so if Pet steals my phone and calls you to fact check, you know."

"Cool. Alan is coming over, so I'm going to hang up."

"Speaking of the Alan issue, how's that going for you?"

"He's been working on his frickin' robot at all hours of the day and night. Any time I see him he's programming, or building, or eating, or sleeping. There hasn't been any time."

"Been watching him as he slept, eh? As soon as I've gone, you escalate to stalker level. I guess I really am the moderating figure in our life."

"Shut up. He fell asleep when we were reading King Arthur in the library, and I didn't have the heart to wake him up."

"Sure. Or you thought he was cute."

"Toff it, sister, or we're going to start talking about how you literally slept with a man you hated four days ago."

"Goodbye, Marlene."

"Goodbye, sugarplum. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

"That's really not a good guideline. Marlene."

"Love you."

"Love you, too."

Lily hung up and sat on the windowsill. She could hear the first strains of _Ain't Talkin' Bout Love_ from her dad's music studio and smiled. He must have successfully deterred James, because she could hear a drumset accompanying Sirius's guitar riffs and her dad's piano. Setting off to look for a sleeping bag for Sirius, she smiled at the comforting feeling of home.


	12. Vermin

**Hey, guys! Life has been crazy, so I haven't quite been up to speed with my updates, but I'm trying, I promise! This week I don't have orchestra, so I should be able to get something out. No promises, though. Thank you all for your continued support, you're the best. Please review!**

"So, what's this I hear about Lily Evans' past life of crime?"

James and Lily were in the Evans family kitchen, peeling sprouts for dinner, where they had been since Petunia had broken up Mr. Evans and the boys' impromptu band. Lily laughed and blushed. "My dad sure doesn't know how to stay quiet, eh?"

James gasped indignantly. "I will not have you besmear the name of our lord and savior Lawrence Evans in such a manner!" He brandished his sprout knife in Lily's direction. "Take that back, you wench!"

Lily laughed and picked her sprout knife as well. "En garde, villain!"

"The only villain here is you!"

"Your comebacks are weak!"

"So is your form!"

"I've never taken lessons, unlike _you_ , you twit!"

James had backed her up into the counter. "How did you know I took fencing lessons?"

"Please. You reek of ridiculous pastimes."

James laughed and leaned in closer. "Ha-bloody-ha-ha. How did you know, Evans?"

Lily blushed and looked to the side. "I might have half-listened to you, like once, at a thing sometime."

James opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the deep voice of a man who was quite clearly trying to keep his laughter in check. "Please, _mon chou_ , I already have to see Petunia attacking Vermin with her lips at every turn. Please spare me that from you."

Lily and James separated embarrassedly, both of them turning as red as the radishes in front them as they went back to slicing vegetables. Sirius, leaning behind Mr. Evans' wheelchair, spoke.

"They've been like this all week, Mr. Evans. Let me tell you, it's difficult being the third wheel."

"Believe me, my boy, I know. I was the third wheel in Eleanor's relationship for _years_ before she married me."

Sirius laughed. "I guess there's a chance for Lil and I yet," he said, sighing dramatically and wiggling his eyebrows at the red-faced girl.

Mr. Evans' booming laugh once again seemed to fill the room. "Unfortunately for you, my boy, I'm rather attached to this James character."

Lily and James exchanged worried looks over the cutting board. James closed his eyes. "I knew this was a bad idea," he hissed at Lily.

"Don't be ridiculous. Dad'll get over it."

James exhaled theatrically. "Glad to know you've taken so many boys home that you know he'll get over it."

Lily elbowed him. "Don't be a prat."

"I was joking. Unless your life on the wild side extends to a number of gentlemen coming home at all hours of the night-"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm always ridiculous."

"I know."

"Well, Sirius, m'boy, if this is what they're always like, I don't blame you for wanting to jump out of that van."

"Actually, sir, I wanted to jump out of the van because every time it hit a bump it knocked me on my-"

The quick click-clack of heels warned them all of an approaching Petunia. Mr. Evans and Sirius both looked alarmed at the sound and hastened to look busy, but weren't quite quick enough.

"What are you all doing? Vernon is going to be here in less than an hour and dinner isn't even half cooked!"

Mr. Evans arranged his face into a somber expression. "Don't worry, my dear, dinner will be ready by the time Verm- I mean, Vernon arrives. Don't worry yourself about it, I'll have it covered."

Petunia exited the room as Mr. Evans turned to his salad spinner with disgust. "He picked up a piece of kale. "How does she eat this?" he wondered, eyeing the vegetable with disgust. "I tell you, Lily-petal, ever since she's been staying with me, it's been nothing but green vegetables and lean chicken." He turned to her with pleading eyes. "Will you support me if I order a pizza?"

"You'll have to get twenty if you want to properly feed Vermin."

Mr. Evans smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I've missed you, my flower."

Lily blushed into her dad's shoulder. "I've missed you, too, Dad."

XXXXXXX

"You never answered my question."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

The van hit a bump. Lily rubbed her elbow where it hit the door. "Bloody hell, Potter, Sirius was right. This van will knock you right on your-"

"Hey! Don't disrespect the van!"

"The van dumped us in the middle of the English countryside with no heat in a snowstorm!"

"She was tired!"

They hit another bump. "How many bumps can you hit on the way to get a pizza, Potter, jeez!"

"It is _dark_ out! Much like your past, apparently."

"We're not talking about this. Now or ever."

"You ought to tell your boyfriend these things, you know."

"I would if you were actually my boyfriend."

"Ouch."

She turned to James. "Instead of having this conversation, I'd like to tell you some important things you should know about Vermin. Firstly, he has the most boring job in the entire world: he makes drills."

James wrinkles his nose. "Sounds like it fits his personality."

"Secondly, every time he comes over, he eats us out of house and home, so you had better get your pizza early and eat it quick, or he _will_ find a way to take it from you. Finally, he and Petunia will try to make a fool out of you. Not that they need to do much, but-"

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying, you need to stay on your feet."

"You don't need to worry about me; you should be focusing on _you_ , because I'm going to sweep you off yours tonight."

"You're ridiculous."

"I will have you know that I am the greatest tree decorator of our time, and I will astound and impress you with my rad ornament dispersing skills."

Lily laughed. "Go in and get the pizza, you clown."

XXXXX

The five occupants of the Evans home were waiting by the door when three crisp knocks sounded at six o'clock precisely.

"On time, like _normal_ people. Vernon would never _dream_ of arriving three days late," Petunia said smugly, throwing a dirty look at James as she grabbed the door handle and threw herself at Vernon. Lily could see her father making faces at Sirius as Petunia proceeded to straighten Vernon's puce tie and smooth his gray suit jacket. As they all filed into the kitchen, Lily could hear Petunia apologizing over the non-home-cooked meal, and heard Vernon's response.

"It's alright, Pet, I know your family is difficult to work with."

James saw Lily fuming by the doorway to the kitchen. "Us, hard to work with? The most difficult person to work with is her!" Before she stomped in to confront Vernon, James put his hand on her forearm.

"Let Sirius and I handle it, Lil. We'll get him."

Lily smiled slightly. "I'm glad we're friends, you know."

Normally, that would have put James over the moon. So why did his heart feel like it was sinking?

XXXXX

"So, Vernon, my Lily-flower tells me you work with drills?"

Across the table, James saw Petunia's eyes thin suspiciously. He expected she was wary of any courteous behavior coming from him. _As well she should be. I mean, we didn't really get off to a great start. Also, I made jokes about her going to hell. And her dad likes me more than he likes her boyfriend._

"I do, in fact," Vernon said, puffing out his chest for what James was sure was going to be a very long-winded and boring conversation.

"What kind of drills? Fire drills? Tornado drills? Active shooter drills? You guys should work more on those, I hear there's a real problem in America." Sirius chimed in.

"Not that kind of drill. The kind you use for building."

James tilted his head innocently. "Body-building? You design workout drills? Do you, you know, ever use them?"

"Lily, control your friends!" Petunia hissed for across the table.

Dursley scowled. "I don't appreciate your tone, young man."

"Few people do. But seriously, I'd be interested in your workouts if you can bring yourself to show me them."

"I work with drills, you fool!"

"Oh, you work with the military!" Sirius responded, his eyes sparkling with laughter. "You write their movements during wartime. How long has it been since you've done something useful?"

Petunia stood up from the table. "Lily, may I speak with you?"

James watched Lily stand up and straighten her jumper. She stopped by her father and bent down next to him. He seemed to be pleading with her about something, but what, he couldn't tell. She straightened up and exited the dining room without responding to her father. For a few minutes James strained to hear what the sisters were discussing, but after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence between the four men (except for Vernon's loud chewing as he devoured most of a sausage and olive pizza), the living room seemed to explode.

"Petunia why don't you just leave _me_ and _my life_ ALONE! You _obviously_ disapprove of it, and can't bear the thought of me being there, so why don't you just leave me the bloody hell _alone!"_

Lily came storming out of the living room red-faced and riled up. She snatched a pizza out from in front of Vernon and stormed up the stairs, feet banging on every step. James stood up and excused himself from the table, following her up.

It wasn't hard to figure out which room was Lily's- there was only one person who would blare Persichetti's _Pageant_ when she was angry. Slowly pushing the door open, he found Lily sitting on the floor with her head in her knees.

James knew comforting her wasn't what she wanted. So he sat down and looked around the room.

If people's souls were a color, James had long since decided Lily's was cherry-red. Her room seemed to embody her cheery personality. In the corner, an old phonograph was spinning a 44 of Persichetti's greatest, and beside it was a bookshelf stuffed beyond its limits, stacked next to it was a pile of books that reached halfway up the bookcase. In the other corner, a French horn sat in its case, with a music stand next to it. Her simple bed had a worn but clean red checked bedspread on it, and on her nightstand were several framed pictures, including one of her and Marlene, as well as pictures of her father, Petunia, and a pretty blonde woman James assumed was her mother.

What fascinated him most, though, was the wall opposite the bed.

Pinned to the wall were dozens and dozens of programs, pages of sheet music, pictures of orchestras, musicians, French horns- it seemed to be an assembly of everything Lily loved the most about music. He was so engrossed in all the individual pieces that he didn't even hear Lily come up behind him.

"This is my inspiration wall," she said in a shaky voice. He turned to look at her. "It's pictures of musicians and groups and programs of concerts I've been in and my favorite of the pieces I've played- this used to be my dream wall- it's what I wanted to do since I was a little kid."

"Why did you go into education, then?"

She smiled brittlely. "I was in music my first two years. But I was still trying to make up with Petunia then, and she said it was waste of my life. Then mom died, so I chose to follow her path in honor of her." She sighed and looked at the wall. "I miss music so much."

James turned her by her shoulders to face him. "You know your mother would want you to follow your own dreams, right?"

"It's too late, now."

James laughed. "Lily, you know that our university would pay you to go to school there as long as you wanted. You're the best student it's seen since God knows when. They _want_ you there. DO what you need to to be happy." He smiled at her. "Now we ought to go down, or Petunia will think we're up to no good."

Lily smiled. "All the better." She pulled the pizza out from under her bed. "Pepperoni and bell pepper?"

James smiled at her. "First caramel milkshakes and now this. You do have the strangest tastes, Evans."

"Well, what do you prefer, then?"

"Much like my taste in milkshakes, I am a pizza purist. I prefer pepperoni alone. However, I will eat this just so I don't have to hear Vermin chewing like an angry jackal again."

Lily laughed. "Isn't he awful? I appreciated your drill jokes, by the way."

"Thank you very much, my lady. We left Sirius and your dad down there to fend for themselves, you know."

"My dad can handle it; he's been dealing with him all year. And I get the feeling Sirius can keep Vermin on his toes, too."

James chuckled. "Will you be okay to go downstairs and decorate the tree?"

"Why, I couldn't miss your self-proclaimed 'mad decorating skills'. But let's finish this pizza first, Vermin's always the first down in the morning and he doesn't leave any waffles for the rest of us."

"How tragic. And on Christmas Eve, too."

Lily paused to look at him. "I'm glad you're here, James."

He felt a warmth in his chest rise, and he extended his arms for a hug.

"I am too, Lily-flower."


	13. Two Kisses

**Hey, guys! Thank you all so much for the reviews, please keep it up! Could I ask you guys to spread my story a little bit? I love you all, and I'd love some fresh new voices to tell me what I can fix, too. Can we make a deal? If I get 50 followers by next time, I'll give you two chapters instead of one. I know that's a bit ambitious, but I'd really like it. It's less than fifteen new folks, yeah? If you all tell your cousin about it or whatever, that's exceeding my goal by almost five times! Please help me spread my story! Thank you all so much for your kind reviews, they've really helped me stay strong lately.**

 **I'm packing in an extra surprise in this chapter. Please tell me what you think! Enjoy!**

As it turned out, James was as masterfully efficient at decorating the Christmas tree as he claimed. He took the ornaments Lily handed him and placed them in a spot he thought they would catch the light, where there were no similarly pigmented ornaments, or any other number of reasons he explained cheerily to Lily as he placed a golden lion ornament on the tree.

"See, Lil? The light catches the lion here and it looks like it's roaring! Isn't that neat?"

"Usually, James, I just put the ornaments on the tree without too much thought."

"Then you're missing the true meaning of Christmas!"

"What does an aesthetically pleasing Christmas tree have to do with peace and goodwill?"

"Well, it creates a lot more peace and goodwill than the two of them do," Mr. Evans cut in, nodding over to the sofa, where Petunia and Vernon were wrapped around each other and filling the living room with disgusting slurping noises.

Sirius wrinkled his nose in distaste. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he said, clutching his stomach dramatically and falling onto an overstuffed armchair.

James stood on his tiptoes to exile a homemade ornament of Vernon and Petunia to the far back of the tree, where there would be no danger of seeing it. "It is rather repulsive. Aren't you glad we save that for other places, Lil?" he said, wiggling his suggestively.

Mr. Evans and Sirius mock gagged. "James, my dear boy, as much as I like you, my appreciation of you does not extend to hearing of your and my daughter's romantic endeavors. I got _far_ too much of that from-"

"Okay! This is _not_ the time, Dad!" Lily cut in, blushing furiously.

James turned to Lily, eyebrows raised. "More clues about Lily Evans's mysterious life of crime! I must say, I am quite intrigued. Do continue, Mr. Evans."

Lily's father laughed. "She'll tell you in her own sweet time, James."

"I guess I'll have to convince her in other ways!"

He pounced from his spot by the tree and pushed Lily down on the couch. He began to mercilessly tickle her sides, saying, "Tell me about your ominously unknown life on the dark side!"

Lily squealed beneath him, shaking with laughter. "You'll never get it from me!"

"Um, could you two not be disgusting and couple-y in the middle of the living room?"

James and Lily looked at each other, then over at the couch where Petunia and Vernon were staring at them disdainfully. Choking back laughter, James propped himself up on his elbows and said, "I'm sorry, we're just trying to have a bit of fun to drown out what sounds like the nightly jackal feeding over there."

James could feel Lily shaking with laughter beneath him, and he turned to look into her sparkling green eyes, alight with happiness. He wondered how she would react if he kissed her right now.

"Excuse me-" Petunia began to complain.

"Right!" Mr. Evans broke in. "Why don't we watch a Christmas movie or something? Someone pick! We have everything! Frosty, Rudolph, the Little Drummer Boy-"

"Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey!" James called out, flopping down so his head was on Lily's lap. "That's my favorite."

"Sirius, m'boy, they're in the upper shelf. Would you do an old cripple a favor and get it for me?"

Laughing heartily, Sirius rocketed from his position in the armchair to find the DVD in the shelf above the couch where Vernon and Petunia were curled. Without sparing the two a glance, he unceremoniously climbed on top of Vernon, ignoring his indignant cries and Petunia's snidely disgusted comments on his argyle socks. Stepping on Vernon as much as possible, Sirius rummaged about the shelf looking for the video.

"Where is it, Mr. Evans? I can't seem to find it- oh, did I knock _The Year Without A Santa Claus_ on your head? I would apologize, but the purple of your face really makes it worth it, it's quite a magnificent shade- ah, here it is!"

Climbing down from his perch on Vernon's torso, Sirius brandished the disc proudly. He popped it into the player and the family settled down to watch the movie.

XXXX

"Lily, Petunia, my dearest flowers, as much as I love spending time with you, your old man gets more and more tired every day. I'm turning in early. Sirius, you're the responsible chaperone."

James snorted. "Sirius, the responsible one? I hardly think-"

Mr. Evan's booming laugh filled the room. "I knew you were like me, boy," he said, clapping Sirius's shoulder. "Keep these young things in check." He rolled out of the living room and down the down the hallway to his bedroom.

"Actually, we'll be turning in for the night as well," Petunia said, nudging Vernon to wake him. "Wha- of course, dear. Have a lovely sleep."

"No, you'll have a better one."

"You say goodnight first."

"No, you."

"No-"

"Oh, get on with it, will you?" James said irritatedly. Sending a disgusted look his way, Petunia proceeded to give Vernon a long and lingering kiss (cueing Sirius's retching noises) and threaded her way around the ornament boxes and out of the room, shooting Lily an angry look as she exited. Vernon heaved himself up and proceeded up the stairs to the guest room, panting all the way. Sirius pointed finger guns at Lily and James and stood from his perch on the arm of the couch.

"Not that I don't respect your father in every way, but since you two aren't actually dating, I feel no guilt in leaving to go to bed. Being annoying can really tire a man out. Where's my humble cot, Lily-flower?"

"Up in the garret, Sirius. Have a lovely night."

James waited until he heard Sirius's thumping steps on the staircase, then shifted on the couch so his head was beside Lily's. "So, what do you guys usually do for Christmas?"

Lily exhaled. "That's a bit of a complicated question."

"Why? Traditions are traditions. They don't really change from year to year."

"The thing is, this is our first Christmas without Mum."

 _Oh, shit._

"Oh my god, Lily, I am so sorry, I completely forgot, that was so insensitive, please understand I didn't mean to-"

Lily reached over and covered James's mouth. "It's alright, James, it must be hard to remember our house wasn't always like this."

James moved her hand aside. "No, it's not okay, it's completely-"

"It's fine. We're trying to ditch some of the old traditions that remind us too much of Mum and make some new ones. We decided that would be less painful."

"Petunia didn't like that, did she? That's why she was so hung up on this being a straight-up family Christmas. That's why she was so hostile towards you today."

"There are a lot of reasons why Petunia was hostile today."

"Care to share?"

"Well, you obviously know that she's pissed that I got a full ride to the University, and that I wasted part of it on Music."

"Yeah."

"Well, she also kind of blames me for taking Mum away."

"That's completely ridiculous. Don't listen to her-"

"The thing is, she kind of has a point."

" _What?_ That's completely ridiculous! It was a _car_ accident, you had _nothing_ to do with it-"

"She was driving to pick me up. It was after, the, um, thing with Sev last year, right? Petunia's always hated Sev- we were best friends growing up, and I guess she was jealous of his brains, or she thought he was taking me away from her, or something- but she thinks that if I was never friends with Sev, I wouldn't have come home early from Uni last year, and Mum wouldn't have come to pick me up at Exeter station and been broadsided by Edward."

"That's completely ridi- wait, who's Edward?"

"He's the driver who lost control of his brakes. Dad thinks the road to acceptance is forgiveness, so he comes round for dinner about once a month."

"Your dad is metal as hell."

Lily settled into the couch next to him. "Yeah, he kind of is." She froze, and a smile began to curl at her mouth. "Hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"That." She paused, and James could faintly hear creaking on the stairs. "It's Petunia. She wants to see if we're really dating."

James smiled and flipped over so he was laying on top of Lily. "Let's give her a bit of a show, then, eh?"

He leaned down and heard her inhale sharply. Gently pressing his lips to hers, he cautiously kissed her, taking in her intoxicating scent and sweet, smooth mouth. To his surprise, she responded in kind, moving her hands behind his neck, leaving her fingertips open to play with his hair. He moved off her lips to place gentle kisses of her neck, cheek, and collarbone. He heard her gasp and-

"What is going on here?!" came angry hiss from the doorway. "Dad specifically told you two to stay in check! Where is that ragamuffin, he was supposed to chaperone-"

James smiled against Lily's shoulder. He propped his chin up, grinning cheerily at the housecoated figure in the doorway. "It wasn't hard to convince him to leave. Nice hair curlers, by the way."

Petunia huffed indignantly and turned on her heel, no doubt angry that she was proven wrong about her theory that he and Lily weren't actually dating. James once again looked down at Lily and found her smiling and biting on her lip.

 _Is she smiling because we kissed or because we just tricked Petunia?_

"Man, we got her," Lily said, chest heaving with laughter. James felt his heart once again drop. _That's what she was smiling about. Right._

 _Does she really feel nothing for me?_

Lily froze. "What's wrong?"

James tried to rearrange his face into a more amiable expression. "Nothing. We should be heading up."

She looked at him curiously. "Alright. Good night, James," she whispered, squeezing his hand.

"Good night."

XXXX

She was asleep, Alan saw.

They were so close to finishing King Arthur - so close to finding the final fate of Lancelot and Guinevere and Arthur and Gawain and all the people who made Marlene's eyes light up and a spring in her step and a happy sigh at the end of her sentences. His hands lingered on her thumbs, where they had come to rest without him noticing, automatically stroking the hands that seemed to be made to fit his.

He lifted the book from where it rested on her stomach, rising and falling with every breath she took. He carefully marked her place - not looking at the words on the pages, no matter how much he wanted to know what happened. Marlene had made him promise not to read ahead after he had stolen the book in the confusion of Lily's departure, and he intended to keep that promise - he wanted to finish it together, like they had done with so many books over the years. He sat the book aside, and leaned back against the wall. Frank wouldn't be back, he and Alice had went back to Augusta's for Christmas. And he really was too tired to walk Marlene back to Kellynch. So Marlene could crash here, it wouldn't have been the first time.

He stretched to reach the quilt off his bed, trying not to disturb Marlene's peaceful slumber. He draped the blanket over her and leaned down to kiss her lightly on the forehead.

"I love you, Marlene."

She snuggled closer to his chest. "Love you too, Alan."

He froze for a moment. Beneath him, Marlene's eyes snapped open, as if she had just realized the enormity of what she said.

"Oh, buggering-" Alan began to swear, standing up and upending Marlene from her position on his lap.

Marlene began to laugh. "That's not the way I would have chosen to tell you, but-"

Alan's eyes began to widen. "You meant it, then?"

Marlene laughed, putting her arms around his shoulders. "Of course I meant it, you ridiculous man. I've been trying to tell you for days now, but you've been burying yourself in that wretched lab of yours, so the only lady getting your attention is that blasted robot."

"You always have my attention, Marlene. Everywhere you go, you're the most important thing."

Marlene laughed, her golden hair swinging as she stood up to open the window. "I know."

Alan stood up next to her, placing his hands at her hips and rotating her from the window to face him. "It's always been you, you know."

"Ever since grade school. The first day you fired that bloody egg cannon on my desk, I knew."

"I've always been a bit of an engineer. I knew when you didn't try to clear the yolk off and helped me get a better trajectory to hit Frank that we were meant to be."

She smiled up at Alan. "What a pair we make."

"What a pair we should have made earlier," he said, pushing a stray curl from her face. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, and all seemed right with the world.


	14. Lily's Revelation, The Sequel

**Hey, guys! We didn't quite make 50, but that was a huge increase! And thank you for all your kind reviews! Please keep them coming, and please keep spreading the word! I'm going to try to update more, some things at school have got me going to the library instead of lunch to avoid someone. So I have twenty minutes every day which I promise to work on this! When my friend and I finish watching Deadpool illegally through the school wifi, of course…**

 **Let's get this out of the way right now: I hate it when people label Lily as another Hermione. I feel like her intelligence was more natural, and I also think she wasn't stuck up on certain things. So my Lily isn't like that, sorry if you don't like it. But tell me what you think of her, positive or negative!**

 **Anyways, this one's a bit heavy. It should clear up some mysteries, though. Cheers, guys.**

Unfortunately, back in Cokeworth, all was not right with the world. Lily was laying in bed, the confused hurricane of thoughts bouncing around her brain not allowing her to sleep. _Why was he so disappointed? Is he ashamed of treating my sister that way? Is he disappointed in himself for disobeying my dad? Oh, God, am I a subpar kisser? After we broke up as sophomores, Edgar Bones did spread around that I wasn't a great snog. I always thought he was just bitter, but what if it's true?_

Unable to sit in bed any longer, Lily sat up in bed and tiptoed over to her closet, pulling out a jacket and sneakers, as well as James's scarf. She padded over to her window, where she swung it open and began to climb down the rose trellis. When she felt her sneakers hit the snowy grass, she snuck off, walking to the place that made her feel both comfortable and melancholy- the park where she had first met Sev.

Several blocks later, she began to feel cold. The snow had made her shoes wet, seeping through her socks and into her skin. She pulled the scarf closer around her, wishing that she had brought both boots and James.

 _Can I really be falling for James Potter? The man-child I abhorred not a year ago? Things changed, after the tree incident, of course- I avoided him to the best of my ability. He saw me weak, and that was difficult for me to handle. I've tried to put up a wall, but I can't block it off. And now it's Christmas, and he's helping us get through the whole Mum thing, and he's being so sweet and kind and so completely_ not _the James I thought he was. Is this the real him, or is the showy, obnoxious James the real James? Or do they coexist?_

 _Did I ever even hate James Potter? Or did I hate him for Sev's sake?_

Lily's musings were cut short when she saw a thin, spidery figure sitting on top of the derelict monkey bars. Lily breathed in sharply and began to tread backwards, hoping and praying that he hadn't seen her.

"Lily!"

She closed her eyes and turned around slowly.

"Why aren't you back at Bitterwood, Snape?"

He jumped down from the monkey bars and strode over to her. "I wanted to be home for Christmas. I couldn't leave Mum alone with _him_."

Lily nodded despite herself. _Where is my anger? I couldn't contain it back at Sirius's house. Now I'm carrying on a completely normal conversation with a man I bitterly hate. It's time to go._ "Goodbye, Sev," she whispered softly. "Have a happy Christmas."

He grabbed her arm. "Lily, please-"

She felt her anger return. "No, Sev. You've said what you believe, there is nothing more the two of us can talk about."

"Lily, please, I've been here since ten this morning because I _knew_ you'd come here. This is where we met, this is where you've always felt safest-"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Not anymore."

Snape seemed to realized the meaning in her words. He sunk down on the bench beside Lily and grasped her hand. She yanked it back as if his touch had burned her.

"Lily, please, you know I would _never_ hurt you-"

"But you did. You hurt me so badly I had to leave school, and now my mother is _dead_."

Snape blanched. "Oh, Lily, I had no idea, I'm so sorry-"

"Of _course_ you had no idea, you were too busy jumping scholarship students with your Death Eater friends!"

"It's not like that, Lily."

"Really? What is it like, then? Do the students _voluntarily_ give up their valuables? Do they give _themselves_ scars and bruises? Tell me, Sev," she said, narrowing her eyes and stepping closer, "do they know that _you're_ here on scholarship? Do _they_ know you come from a lower class family- from the same town their abominated Lily Evans, the mudblood, hails from? And what _would_ the scholarship board of directors think? A student on scholarship, harassing other scholarship students because they can't pay for their own college. Dreadfully hypocritical, isn't it?"

"Lily, please-"

"No, Sev, you don't deserve that. You don't get a chance to explain yourself. You explained enough in the commons last spring." She turned around to walk away.

From behind her, Snape called. "You're just angry because you blame _yourself_ for the death of your mother."

Lily stopped in her tracks and slowly swivelled around. "Take. That. Back."

Snape smirked slightly, having got the reaction he wanted. "No. This isn't about me. It's about you working through your problems."

Lily turned around and curled her hand into a fist. "How DARE you! How DARE you say something like that! You know _nothing_ about me and my life. You have no place here, and no way to know anything about me."

Snape stepped closer. "I know you went rogue again this summer- just like when we were in high school. Alcohol, fast cars, men- you went back to your life of crime. You were trying to cope. You forget, I still know you better than you know yourself."

He had stepped so close she could feel his breath on her neck. She buttoned her eyes shut.

"You have no room in my life. There is no place for you anymore." She wound her arm back, and Snape's eyes widened in surprise. Lily was about to swing her fist when she felt an arm close around her wrist.

"Don't, Lily. He's not worth it."

She pursed her lips and turned around to see a serious-looking James. "See, but it really is worth it."

"Nah, Lily. It might seem worth it now, but your hands will hurt like hell in the morning."

"Um, sorry to interrupt this cute little exchange, but what is he doing here?"

LIly glared in his direction. "James and I are dating. He came for Christmas and Petunia's wedding."

Snape started to choke on his own words. "What? You _abhor_ him. He is the _bane_ of your existence. You-"

"No, Sev. You hate him. I hated him for your sake. That's not an obstacle anymore, and we've all shown our true colors. Looks like James wasn't the villain after all," she said, glaring pointedly at him.

Snape closed his eyes and exhaled. "I thought you had some sense, Lily."

James dropped her wrist. "You know what, Lily? Go for it."

XXXX

Lily's hand really did hurt, but she in no way regretted punching Severus Snape. The cool night air and the light dusting of snow on the walk home had soothed it, but her smugness at finally giving Snape what he deserved kept her warm. The look on his face when she socked him- a mixture of anger, disbelief, and surprise- made her feel better than she had since her mother died. Except for when she kissed James. And slept next to James. And-

 _Okay, brain. I get the point. You like James Potter. Stop pushing the issue._

"So, Lily, there's a lot you're not telling your boyfriend," James said, wiggling his eyebrows at her as he rummaged through the kitchen drawers for a clean towel. "Alcohol? Fast cars? Men? What could my darling, innocent, Lily-petal possibly have gotten into? I expect you've slept with countless men, who you simply cannot remember? Who you met while drunk at a car race?" She smirked when he saw her blush. "Everyone has a vice, my dear."

Lily sighed. "I didn't sleep with them. After Mum died, I was the only one left to deal with the aftermath. Tuney went to go deal with her problems in London with Vernon and Dad was stuck in the hospital and everything and I was supporting him and running the grocery and there was no one there to talk to. I used to talk to Sev about all my problems, but that obviously wasn't an option. Marlene was in Portugal doing God knows what- she offered to stay home with me, but I told her to go. So I dealt with things in my own way. I drank, and I led men on, and I got caught a couple of times for drag racing in Exeter. The board almost took away my scholarship, but my dad and I promised I'd get sober. I haven't drank since, and my dad and I agreed that I shouldn't bring a car, just in case I relapsed again. And I'm back to being a prude," she said, smiling at him.

James stared at her. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that alone, Lily."

Lily smiled from her perch on the countertop. "It wasn't your fault, James. You didn't know, we were barely on speaking terms then."

"Yes, but if I had pushed a little harder that night, I would have convinced you to let me drive you home, and if I'd just stopped being a jerk a little earlier, or if I'd just dealt with my- well, never mind that, if I'd just been kind from the get-go, we might have been friends, and someone would have been there for you."

Lily took his face in her hands, pushing his chin up. "James, this is not your fault. You had no way of knowing, there is absolutely no reason why you should blame yourself." She pushed herself off from the counter and put her arms around James. At first he was tense, but he finally relaxed and wound his arms around Lily. She melted into his grip and buried her face in his flannel, breathing in the sweet scent of skin and soap and strength.

"Lily?"

"Yes, James?"

"You don't actually believe all that codswallop Snivellus said about your mother's death being your fault?"

"Did you just use the word codswallop in a sentence? I don't think anyone has used that since, what, the late 1920's?"

"Codswallop is a perfectly acceptable term!"

"Sure, if you're an American mobster in a fedora."

"You're avoiding the question."

Lily broke away from James and slid back on the countertop. "I'm learning to accept my mother's death, and with that, any guilt that I may feel. Now, drop it and find me the bloody peroxide, my hand stings like all hell."

James laughed. "So, I heard Severus say this was a relapse? Is this finally the day Lily Evans unveils her past life of crime?"

"I suppose you should know if we're to keep up the couple guise."

James swivelled around. "Lily, you don't have to tell me anything you don't want to-"

"No, you should probably know." She took a deep breath. "When I started high school, my aunt died. She and I were close- she was my mother's sister and she lived down the street. She and my mum and Tuney and I did everything together. I think we've already established that I handle grief very poorly, and I started to drink, and I drove faster than I should, and I led guys on. I was caught for drag racing and street racing and I've got a fair few charges under me. I was addicted to adrenaline"

"What made you stop?"

Lily smiled. "Music."

James poured peroxide on her split knuckles, then began to wrap a bandage around her hand. "Please continue."

"The school director saw something in me, he said. He plopped a French horn in my hands, and it was incredible- it was something I could do to take my mind off everything that was going on, and I was _good_ at it- the only thing I had ever felt like I was a natural at like I felt about this, other than school, was racing. This was so much healthier. So I got a new addiction- music. I've been playing ever since. And it felt so _good_ \- it was something that brought my family together, not tore it apart." She paused. "Except for Petunia. She thinks music is a waste of time."

James had long since finished wrapping the bandage around her hand and was absently rubbing soft circles on her hand. She blushed and looked back at James. Was it just her, or was he leaning in closer? Suddenly, there was a thump on the stairs and the two jumped guiltily apart.

"That must be Vermin," Lily whispered. "He usually gets up around now to raid the icebox."

James raised his eyebrows. "Let's have some fun with him, shall we?"

He opened the refrigerator and brandished a stick of butter. "I'll take care of Vermin, you hide the ice cream. Deal?"

"Deal."

XXXX  
Five minutes later, Lily and James were well secreted in the living room, waiting for Vernon to finally come downstairs. They were not disappointed, as shortly after, Vernon Dursley came tiptoeing down the steps. Lily had to clap her hand over his mouth to keep him from giggling at the sight of the elephantine man creeping down the stairs. He pulled her hand off his face and whispered, "Wow, Lily, I didn't think our relationship was like that, but whatever floats your boat, eh?"

"Shut up! He might hear you!"

Vernon, however, seemed to be completely focused on raiding the freezer without waking the house. Unfortunately, his plan was doomed to fail, because once he reached a five-foot radius of the freezer door, his foot hit the place where James had smeared butter and he went flying. With an earth-shaking crash, the rest of the house woke up. Petunia was down within an instant, and Sirius treaded down sleepily from the garret. Lily and James took that as a safe time to creep out from their hiding place and joined Sirius at the kitchen door. "What's going on?" he yawned sleepily over Petunia's anxious cries.

"Looks like Vernon took a mighty spill," Lily said, barely hiding her smile. "Tell me, Vernon, why were you down here?"  
"I, um, had to use the bathroom."

James looked at him with feigned curiosity. "Why didn't you use the one upstairs?"

Petunia looked at the two of them. "Stop interrogating my poor man. Off to bed, all of you."

"Yes ma'am," Sirius said, and scampered off. Lily and James turned to each other and shrugged, heading up as well.

XXXX

"What are you going to tell your dad about your fist?" James said once they had reached Lily's door.

"The truth."

"He won't be mad that you snuck out?"

"There's not much bad to do in Cokeworth. Anyways, he knows I'm on suspension by the Board and he trusts me not to do anything stupid."

"Your dad really is the coolest."

Lily twisted the necklace James had gotten her around her finger. "Yeah, he is."

James moved closer, and Lily inhaled sharply. His ahmd met her waist, and she felt goosebumps erupt up her sides.

"Petunia might be watching, you know," he whispered."

"Yeah, she might."

"We should probably kiss, then. Just for appearance's sake."

"Just for appearances," she whispered back, tilting her head up with her eyes on James's lips.

Unlike their kiss the earlier in the evening, this one was slow and sweet. James's mouth felt so right against hers, and his lips were so smooth and sweet, and he seemed to know exactly what she wanted. When James finally pulled away, she involuntarily followed his mouth. He smiled softly. "Glad you like that much, Lily."

She blushed. "Just for appearances."

"Of course."

She went into her room and closed the door, walking over to her phonograph in a haze. She selected a record without really looking at it, then went to lay on the red quilted bedspread her aunt had made and let the sounds of Pachelbel's _Canon in D_ wash over her. Feeling much better rested, and with her head no longer a whirlwind of thought, her last conscious thought was of James.


	15. Change of Scarf

**I've had a bit of a rough couple of weeks. My dad is in Denver for work, and he's kind of the only sane one in this house. So there's been a lot of arguing and yelling and general fighting in our house, so I've been avoiding writing for a while. But I just got the most thoughtful review, and when I read it, I cried. I'm so thankful for all the support you guys give me- I couldn't ask for better readers. Thank you so much for your support, and please, tell me what you think.**

 **Once again, I'm sorry that this chapter is abominably late. But given that I had an emotional breakdown in the middle of my algebra class a few days ago, I hope you all can forgive me under the grounds of "has too much stress in her life". But my exams will be done soon and I'll get back on track. Promise.**

 **This isn't up to my usual standards, and it's a bit shorter than usual, but I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things. But I did name the chapters! SO that's something! Anyways, thanks for understanding.**

Sirius woke the house up the next morning rather unceremoniously, parading up and down the stairs and shouting, "IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!" at the top of his lungs. Lily, having had a late night, groaned and clapped her hands over her ears and shouted, "For God's sake, Sirius, give a woman some shut-eye!"

Lily heard a muffled voice from across the hall. "For once in my life, I agree with her! You are a GUEST in MY house, and you would do well to remember that!"

 _Her house? Are you kidding me?_ Without further ado, Lily jumped out of bed, put on her slippers, and left her room to join Sirius's spirited chorus. "IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!" Lily hollered, dragging Sirius down to the kitchen to retrieve pots and pans, and proceeded to bang them outside Petunia's door until James came stumbling down the stairs.

He yawned and rumpled his already too-messy hair. "What the bloody hell is going on here?"

From inside the door, they heard Petunia yell, "Language!" The trio looked at each other, and began to yell, "IT'S CHRISTMAS BLOODY EVE!"

Petunia turned on her hairdryer and drowned them out, putting an end to their spirited chorus. They shrugged at each other and went downstairs, where they could already smell the waffles cooking.

"Hello, my dear," Mr. Evans sang out from the table. "I'm afraid all the waffles are gone."

"Of course they are," Lily grumbled, stalking over to the bread cabinet, where she extracted a muffin. She tossed one over to James, who was not expecting it and got hit in the face.

The room exploded with laughter. James surfaced, cherry-faced, from the underside of the table, where he had gone to retrieve the muffin. "Shut up, Vernon," he mumbled at the whale of a man, who had begun to choke on his stack of waffles. Sirius smacked him on the back with unnecessary force, and, still chuckling, said, "So! It's Christmas Eve! What do y'all do to celebrate?"

Mr. Evans sat down and tucked into his bowl of ice cream. "Christmas Eve in the Evans family is gift shopping day."

Vernon looked at Petunia. "How, er, peculiar," he said, raising his eyebrows at her. She blushed.

" _I_ got all my shopping done last month," Petunia said huffily. "Which is why I will expect _you,_ Lily, at the Dress Loft at 3:30 today for your fitting."

"I thought you didn't want me to be a bridesmaid," Lily grumbled through a mouthful of muffin. Petunia eyed her with distaste.

"I didn't. But, unfortunately, my darling Vernon pointed out that his relatives do know rather vaguely that you exist, and that it would be peculiar if you were not included in the ceremony."

"I'm surprised she told them about me at all," Lily said under her breath.

"Probably an accident," James whispered back.

"This has, of course, been a terrible inconvenience for me- I couldn't pick any pink dresses, because they'd look simply atrocious with your hair, and you're a bit tall already, so the heels can't be that tall, and-"

Lily rolled her eyes at James. "Dad, want to go out with me today to get presents?"

"Sorry, Lil, someone has to mind the grocery. Could you stay back so Petty can get the wedding shopping out of her system?"

"Dad, you can't drive."

Sirius jumped up. "I'll take him! If James lets me drive Bertha, that is."

James nodded. "Take her away, Padfoot. I'll hang downstairs with Lily."

Mr. Evans winked at the two of them. "Keep it PG, you two, unsanitary behavior is bad for business."

Petunia shuddered. "Almost makes it worth it just to gross Petunia out, doesn't it?" James whispered to Lily, who blushed. James left the kitchen to head down to the grocery, leaving Lily frozen by the table.

"Yeah. That's it."

 _-x-x-x-_

"Why doesn't your dad do music?" James said out of nowhere. He and Lily were sitting at the counter of the Evans family's grocery, watching the customers mill around the store. "He's bloody brilliant. I watched him play the keyboard last night, and he's amazing. He could have made it."

Lily smiled. "Yeah, he could have. He actually didn't even start off with music, though. He grew up here in Cokeworth, he was best friends with my mum growing up. She lived a couple roads down, and it was always her, or so claims. My mum used to say that he was quite the player, though."

 _Gee, I wonder what 'it was always her' feels like. Oh, wait..._ "What did he want to do?"

Lily grinned at him. "James, my father has a PhD in astrophysics."

"What the hell is he doing running a grocery? That's a high-paying job."

"Yeah, if you can find one."

"Oh."

"After he was rejected from Oxford's research division for the twelfth time, he ditched astrophysics and ran off with his band, Whispers on the Front Porch. They were doing alright when my grandpa died, then he gave up music to come home and run the grocery. By that time, my mom was teaching at the local elementary school and they met up for drinks, and something just...clicked that time."

James studied her. "Sounds like they were meant to be."

Lily looked steadily back. "Yeah, it does."

She finally broke eye contact with him, blushing a little. "So, why is Remus in Australia?"

James scowled. "He's spending his precious time here on Earth, in one of the most wonderful places on the planet, trapped in a sterile white room." When Lily gave him a confused look, he elaborated. "He's in a special hospital to have a surgery on his lungs."

"What?! What's wrong with them?"

"They suck."

Lily looked stricken. "He has never, ever given any indication that he wasn't okay. WHy didn't he tell me? How have I been so blind, I could have _helped_ him. Jesus, Remus-"

James put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Lil, don't beat yourself up over it. He didn't tell _us_ until we were sophomores, and we only figured it out after we saw him during the summer after sophomore year, swimming with his shirt off and a huge scar down his front."

"Wait- you said his precious time on earth- is he _dying?_ Oh, my god, Remus-"

"Nah, he's not dying. It's not _that_ bad. I mean, it inhibits his ability to function, but he isn't going to die. Yet. Anyway, Moony would kill me if he knew I was telling you, he hates pity. Time to change the subject."

 _-x-x-x-_

"Wait a second- you said you haven't drank since this summer!" James said, whirling around and pointing an accusatory finger at Lily from where he was standing by the corn chips.  
"Um, yeah?"

"You drank that night at the Three Broomsticks when we were stuck in Nanpantan. You were totally drunk then!"  
"I was not! I absolutely know my limits, and I did not exceed them. Besides, I have a perfect memory of that night."

James froze. "Um, you do?"

"Of course. I had a scotch then I fell asleep at the bar. You carried me up and put me in bed and that was all there was."

James turned away, simultaneously relieved and disappointed. "Yeah. all there was to it."

 _-x-x-x-_

At three, Mr. Evans returned, relieving James and Lily of cashier duty. They walked back to the flat before going to the dress shop, and Lily stopped at the door. "Right, Potter, I need you to do something for me."

"Why, Evans, do you really call your boyfriend by his last name? Unless, of course, you have some sort of attachment to it," James said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively at her. She flushed. "Yes, that is what I call you. Anyways, I need one of your shirts."

That threw James off his guard. "Um, what?"

"The fitting will be full of Petunia's friends- they're all almost carbon copies of her. And what better way to get under their skin then to look absolutely content and happy in my relationship?"

"Er, what does that have to do with my shirt?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Never mind. Just get a shirt that's quite blatantly yours."

James returned minutes later with his scarlet and gold university soccer jersey. "This good?"

Lily smiled smugly. "Perfect. Now, I need your jacket."

"Lily, it is thirty degrees out with the wind chill."

"Whatever."

He smiled. "Don't worry, I haven't forgotten why I'm here. I'll play my part when we get to the dress shop. However, I don't care to freeze my behind off in the meantime, so I'm wearing it there. You can have my scarf, though."

Lily pulled it out from under her jacket. "I already do. She ruffled her hair up."

"What are you doing? It looked fine before."

"I know it did. I want the 'just-snogged' look to spite Petunia."

"I could make that authentic for you."

She smacked his shoulder, but laughed and smiled. "Prat."

He smiled at her and offered his arm. "My lady?"

She smiled and took his arm. "Thank you, my good sir."

 _-x-x-x-_

They arrived at the door of the bridal shop, and Lily wrinkled her nose with distaste. "Do I really have to go in there?"

"Unfortunately, yes," James said, peering past the rows and rows of tulle and satin. "It looks like you'll never escape, but the wedding is why I'm here, so you have to get ready for it. So you can look your best and get your sister off your back."

Lily turned to him. "James, I never would have thought I would say this, but you're the best company I could have asked for this Christmas. You're not just here to be useful, you're here because you belong here. Does that make sense?"

James's smile seemed to split his face open. "I'm glad you feel that way, because this place feels right to me, too."

With an unceremonious _bang_ , the shop door swung open. "Get in here, weirdo, so we can get your fitting over with," Petunia said, turning her nose up in distaste at the sight of James. "Since when have you played soccer? I was under the impression you wasted all your time with that blasted instrument."

"It's not mine, it's James's." Petunia's face turned red, and she turned around to let the door swing shut.

"Bye, James," Lily said as she prepared to follow her older sister. He caught her arm as she headed in. "That's no way to say goodbye to your boyfriend, no, is it?"

She blushed and shook her head. Swiftly and sweetly, James captured her lips with his and gave her a searing kiss that left her dizzy. He pulled away, and with it, he stole the scarf looped around her neck. "Hey!" he exclaimed, scowling at him.

"I'll give it back after you get this done. Then we can go Christmas shopping."

She smiled at him, then walked into the shop. She came face-to-face with six girls all gaping at her- presumably from their astonishment at James and the kiss. Smiling self-satisfiedly, Lily sauntered between the girls and sat down in a corner, feeling better than she had around Petunia since they were children.

 _It's nice coming out on top every once and a while._


	16. Flyboy

**Hey, my dudes! I am back on track! Or I will be. I am going on vacation soon, but I am going to try to prewrite a chapter so I can release it while I'm gone. Hopefully. Whatever the case may be, thanks to my new beta, honorary-marauder-1, for getting me back into writing semi-regularly! You guys should check out her new fic, How To Move On 101. It's a Jily tale, and it's pretty great. Anyways, here you guys go! Please review, they really, really inspire me to write. Thanks again for sticking with me!**

Lily was in fashion hell.

For one, it seemed to Lily that her and Petunia's versions of "a quick and simple fitting" were very different. For starters, she hadn't even selected a dress- she had decided on peach and navy blue for the wedding colors, but they had waded through yards and yards of fabric and catalogs upon catalogs of patterns until she finally decided on one fabric and one design. Even then, it seemed to take hours upon hours of pinning and sizing and cutting and admonitions about how the girl being fitted mustn't move.

For another, Petunia sat smugly across the room the entire time, giving Lily a smug smile and smirking with every tick of the clock. Lily was sure that every moment she kept Lily away from James gave her personal pleasure. She put every single bridesmaid in front of Lily, making sure her sister's misery was complete

Finally, Petunia's friends had suddenly switched gears from their usual state of "ignore-Lily-and-pretend-she-doesn't-exist" to "interrogate-Lily-to-find-out-the-status-of-her-relationship". Every spare moment they had when they weren't cooing over a girl's finished dress, they spent questioning her about the details of their relationship.

"So, Leanne, how long have you and this boy been together?"

"My name is Lily."

"Whatever. So, what's the scoop? Is he good?"

"Um, what?"

"You've slept together, right?"

 _I mean, technically, if I said yes, it wouldn't be lying, and it would scandalize Petunia to no end."_

"Yeah, we have."

Petunia gaped from across the store. "Lily! Do not talk of such things in this company! I _knew_ going to that college would ruin you-"

Lily felt her blood begin to boil. Instead of engaging her sister in an argument, which would make her seem to be "the bad guy", she took out her phone and searched for James's number.

 **4:06 p.m: Hello, Potter. I am in hell; amuse me.**

 **4:07 p.m: Wait, you're probably driving by now. Don't text, I'd rather you didn't die.**

 _4:09 p.m:_ _How touching, Evans. You do care._

 **4:11 p.m: I'm not joking, Potter. You had better not be behind Bertha's wheel and using your phone at the same time. Especially in the winter.**

 _4:12 p.m: Don't worry, Evans. I am preparing a surprise for you, and I am not driving._

 _4:12 p.m: I'm surprised you lasted that long, honestly. I assumed I'd be getting messages from the moment you closed that door._

 **4:13 p.m: I was a bit busy fending off the bloodhounds.**

 _4:14 p.m: Ah, Petunia's friends tugging for every disgusting, dirty, intimate detail of our relationship? I do hope you obliged them._

 **4:14 p.m: What better way to scandalize Petunia?**

 _4:16 p.m: Ah, Lily-flower, I knew there was a reason I loved you. So, what did you tell them so I know how to argue with Petunia when we get home?  
_ **4:17 p.m: I said that we slept together.**

 _4:19 p.m: Wow, Lily brought out the big guns. I didn't think you had it in you. Except for the fact that you are a card carrying criminal. I guess I can believe it._

 **4:20 p.m: Shut up. Anyway, it wasn't technically a lie. We've slept together, like, three times.**

 _4:22 p.m: Damn, you're right. We're moving fast, Evans._

 **4:23 p.m: Yeah, yeah. I have to get fitted, come get me soon. Please. I'm miserable.**

 _4:25 p.m: Anything for you, my dear._

 _-x-x-x-_

Lily was tired of being poked, pricked, and prodded. But most of all, she was tired of all of these boring, judgemental, carbon-copied girls interrogating her about her "relationship" with James.

And that was how they referred to it. As a "relationship". Lily could _hear_ the air-quotes surrounding the word every time the word left one of their pink-painted, overdrawn lips. She could tell they doubted the truth behind her and James, and while they were correct, she didn't appreciate their skepticism of it just because James was more attractive than her.

Frankly, Lily was at her wit's end.

And it was one of Petunia's comments that finished her off.

A girl named Irene was chatting about James.

"He's so cute," she cooed. "And I've always dreamed of dating a football player, they're so athletic. I would drive all the other girls at the office crazy with him."

Petunia lifted her head snobbishly. "Vernon is the perfect man, I think. He is well-established, has a steady job, and he cares for me very much. I could never bring myself to date the likes of that Potter boy," Petunia said, then lowered her voice to an audible whisper. "And apparently, neither can Lily!"

"Alright, that's the last straw!" Lily shouted. The seamstress harrumphed at Lily, mumbling, "Stop moving!" with a mouth full of pins. Lily waved her away. "No, you know what, I'm allowed to move. I have put up with this behavior from you the _whole freaking day_ \- no, you know what, my _whole freaking LIFE-_ and I have not complained all that much. But you know what? I am a reasonably attractive woman, and there is absolutely _no_ reason why you all shouldn't believe the likelihood of my relationship with James. I am worthy of him, and he is worthy of me. And you know what, Petunia? I don't care if you don't like him. I don't care if you think your Vernon is the perfect man. I don't _care_ if Vernon has a steady job, and a good house, or that he's _normal_ \- I love James. I think he is the perfect person. I think that he is wonderful, and kind, and funny, and smart, and I love him to death. And you know what? Maybe we'll get married someday. And _you-"_ Lily said, flouncing off the table and pulling pins out of her dress- "are not invited."

A single voice cut through the crushing silence. "Well, here's to that."

Lily looked up from where she was pulling her sweater on and saw James. She smiled and walked over to him, struggling to pull her trainers on and move at the same time, ending up doing an odd little walk-hop over to the door.

She smiled up at him, slipping her hand into his. "Let's get out of this joint."

He looked around, slipping his hand out of hers and swinging his arm up around her shoulders. "Well, I can't say the company's keeping me."

He pushed the door open. From behind them, Lily heard the dressmaker call out, "Miss Evans! You have not completed this fitting!"

She looked around at the company, her eyes resting on Petunia's pale, surprised, face. She felt her heart fill with satisfaction- and just a touch of remorse. Even after all these years, she still feels a little bad when Petunia does-

But then she saw Petunia glare at James and herself, and at the arm slung around her shoulders. The little piece of remorse vanished. "Aw, who cares."

The door swung closed with a final-sounding _bang_ , and the two climbed into the van.

 _-x-x-x-_

"So, you love me, eh?" James said, looking at her with a crooked smile on his face.

"Shut up. You know I just said that because Petunia was on my nerves."

James shifted his focus back to the road ahead. "Yeah, I figured."

"So, do you think you can play it off?"

"Huh?"

"Us being in love. Do you think you can act like you're in love?"

 _I don't have to act._

"Yeah, I think so. But I thought this was supposed to be a non-permanent thing? So your dad can let go of me quickly."

"Yeah, well, times change." She peered out the window. "Where are we going? This isn't the direction of the business district."

"RIght. About that. I was looking around, and most of the shops closed early this year."

"What?!"

"Yeah. So, this is your surprise."

They parked the van. Lily hopped out of the car.

"Cokeworth Municipal Private Airgrounds?"

James shifted uncomfortably, his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, since I knew you hadn't gotten your shopping yet, I made arrangements to fly into Exeter so you could get your stuff done. It's a grass strip, and the plane is kind of old, but I should be able to fly it. But it won't take long to get there- fifteen minutes, tops- and the weather's cleared up, so we'll have a tailwind on the way back. But we have to be home before Christmas dinner, because I am absolutely not going to be the reason you aren't home by then. I think I've caused enough delays in this house already."

Lily laughed, then flung her arms around him. "James, that is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. I only ask for one thing."

"What is that, my lady?"

"Can I wear your aviator's jacket?"

He laughed. "I suppose so. With that and your sunglasses, you'll look quite the part."

He walked her over to a beaten and battered yellow Cessna-182. "So, it looks questionable, but I've checked, and it is flightworthy. Shockingly."

"You do have a history of driving shoddy vehicles, Potter. Are you sure this one won't break down?"

"Hey! Do not disrespect Bertha!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Lily circled the plane. "Wait, is this Mad Alastor's plane?"

"Well, the man did say his name was Alastor, and I doubt there's another man with the misfortune to bear that name in this town, so… yeah. Why?"

"This thing is his pride and joy. How on earth did you convince him to let you borrow it? You, a stranger he knows absolutely nothing about?!"

"Um," James said, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "let's not talk about that."

"Oh my GOD, are you _stealing_ this?"

"Of course not! I have semi-questionable morals when it comes to kidnapping, but _you're_ the only real criminal in our midst."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Take us away, Flyboy." She stepped up into the cockpit.

James stood outside with a goofy grin on his face. She looked at him while she buckled in her seatbelt. His smile seemed to infect her, and a little smirk bent her cherry lips. "What?"

"You gave me a nickname."

She blushed. "So?"

"That means you're getting attached. Ha! I told you I would win you over!"

She smiled and looked out the windshield. "I wouldn't read into it too much." She slid on her aviator sunglasses, and James hopped into the cockpit. "Take us away, Flyboy. I have shopping to do."

James's grin bent to match hers.

"Whatever. You like me."

"Do not."

"Do so."

"Shut up, Flyboy. Take me to Exeter."

"Whatever you wish, my lady."


	17. James' Revelations Are Worse Than Lily's

**Two chapters in three days? Crazy, right? I have to give it all to my lovely beta, honorary-marauder-1. She's keeping me writing. You guys owe her a thank you. Unless you hate this fic, and just followed it out of spite. In which case, props to you, my infrequent updates probably made it difficult to remember which fic this was. So you had to open it! Ha!**

 **Do you guys even read these authors' notes? If so, please review! If not, also please review, but I doubt this note will get you to.**

 **Enjoy. Thanks for sticking with me. Hopefully, my updates will be more frequent now.**

"How much longer until we get there?" Lily whined, putting her feet on the dashboard on the plane and shielding her eyes from the setting sun.

"Jeez, Evans, you're like a little kid. You weren't like this while we were driving. What gives?"

She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. "The sun is going down soon, and I want to be home for dinner at 7, and then we do something else which I am not going to tell you about because it is a surprise. Also, we open presents on Christmas Eve." She shifted in her seat slightly, kicking her sneakers off on the dashboard. "Also, this plane smells like whatever the bloody hell Mad Alastor keeps in that flask of his."

James wrinkled his nose in distaste. "You know, I thought that too. What even is that?"

Lily wiggled her eyebrows mysteriously. "Nobody knows. Maybe he's drinking some abhorrent-smelling form of alcohol. Maybe he's drinking something that keeps him from falling apart. Maybe," she said, leaning closer to him, "he's drinking something that makes him look like Mad Alastor, but he's actually someone else _pretending_ to be Mad Alastor."

"Why would someone pretend to be that crazy old coot? What could he possibly know that someone would want?"

"Who knows. Maybe Mad Alastor has some crazy backstory from World War II about how he got all his scars. Maybe he _knows_ things. Sensitive information about Jolly Old England."

"Torture would explain how he has that weird chunk out of his nose."

"Yeah, it would." Lily sighed. "In actuality, he's just a paranoid old man that doesn't drink anything he hasn't prepared."

"Why not?'

"Who knows."

"Well, his ridiculous paranoia does back up the World War II secret agent theory."

She looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I suppose it would."

"So, what do you do on Christmas Day? Also, don't think I missed that poorly disguised hint, tell me what the surprise is!"

"We go to church out of force of habit, because my mum used to love going. And we don't do anything else, Christmas Day is the one day of the year my father truly hates."

"Really? I can't imagine your father hating any day."

"You remember my aunt who died, setting me off into a deep depression?"

"Yeah."

"That was my dad's sister. She was intelligent, and funny, and just the most wonderful human ever. Imagine my dad, but beautiful."

"Harsh."

"Yeah, well, she died on her way over to our place for Christmas dinner."

"Oh my God, Lily, I am so sorry-"

"It's fine. It was a long time ago. But anyways, that's why we don't do Christmas Day."

"That's understandable."

"Since you aren't doing anything tomorrow, would you want to truck along with Sirius and I? He wants to go home tomorrow. Remus is getting back from Australia, and I told him he could bunk at my place. Sirius wants to go get the house ready."

"Yeah, that would be great. My dad's going to have a hard time letting go of him, though, he's become quite attached."

They fell silent. James looked over at her and was struck again by how beautiful Lily really was. With his jacket on, her sunglasses glinting in the sunlight, her red hair given streaks of gold by the setting sun, and the half-smile that had curled her lips slightly upwards, James thought he had never seen a more stunning woman.

"So, how much longer until we get there?"

 _-x-x-x-_

Once they had arrived in the city of Exeter, Lily turned to James.

"Right, mate, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"Oh, I see how it is. You're using me for my transportation.

She laughed. "No, of course not! It's just, I can't shop for your Christmas present if you're lurking in the shadows, using every opportunity to try to ferret out what your gift is."

"Who's to say I won't follow you around and figure it out anyways?"

She shoved him. "James Potter! Don't you dare!"

He wiggled his eyebrows. "Ah, the joys of Christmas…"

"Pinkie promise me you won't follow me."

He sighed. "I suppose. But if I see you in a store, I am absolutely not turning around just because I might see my Christmas present."

"I will avoid you like the plague."

"Don't you always?"

"Ha-bloody-ha-ha. Meet you here at six?"

"Yeah. It won't take long to get back, will it?"

"Cokeworth is really close. Shouldn't take more than ten minutes with the tailwind."

"See ya, Flyboy."

"Later, loser."

 _-x-x-x-_

James was really having fun shopping for his housemates. He had already found a marshmallow cannon for Sirius, a pair of wheelchair flags for Mr. Evans, and a set of neon green hair curlers for Petunia that sang songs while they set, as well as a magazine entitled, "How To Get A Sense Of Humor" and a kit that went along with it.

His only problem was Lily.

She was wonderful. She deserved everything in life- her hopes, her dreams, the best of everything.

That included a boyfriend who was worthy of her.

A boyfriend who was everything he was not.

He sighed, then caught a glimpse of the store that held the answers to all of his problems. _Well, not all,_ he thought, _but this one, at least._

 _It's perfect_.

 _-x-x-x-_

"So, was your shopping excursion successful?" James inquired when he caught sight of Lily in the town center.

She smiled and sat down next to him on the bench. "Yes, I believe so. I have something for you."

"I thought you weren't going to divulge the nature of my Christmas gift until the appropriate gift-presenting time?"

"I am not. I got you this."

He grinned as he caught sight of a strawberry milkshake.

"You're a dream," he said, sipping his shake excitedly.

"I know," she said, tossing her head back and laughing.

He tore his gaze away. _She deserves better. Stop. You can act like her boyfriend around her family, but you_ can't _tempt yourself outside of that environment. It's not meant to be._

 _I have to stop chasing her._

"You know, people probably think we're crazy," Lily said, a hint of laughter still in her voice.

James looked over at her. "How so?"

"We are two teenagers sitting outside in the dead of winter- on Christmas Eve, no less- drinking milkshakes."

"So?"

"It's ice cream! And we should be drinking something aesthetically pleasing! Like coffee! Or tea! Or hot cocoa!"

He smiled at her. "Well, I've never been much of one for social conventions. Besides, they're probably enjoying us."

"How so?"  
"They're getting a good laugh out of your milkshake mustache, for one."

Lily wiped it away and gave him an indignant punch to the shoulder.

"You jerk! How long was it there before you told me?"

"Long enough for me to get a picture."

"You- agh!" She lunged at James in an attempt to get the phone. He dangled it just out of reach, so she climbed on top of him to retrieve it. From behind them, an old man gave them a disapproving look. His wife, however, winked at the couple sandwiched together on the bench in front of the Exeter Cathedral, as if happy that there was some love in the world.

"You know, you'd probably have to be that cheerful if you were married to someone like that," Lily said.

"Um, yeah," James said, trying not to focus on the feel of her breath on his neck and her hands on his shoulders and her elusive strawberry scent. "Well, we should probably get going if we want to make Christmas dinner."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

He stood up and helped her to her feet. "What are you talking about? Of course I'm right."

 _-x-x-x-_

James had a serious problem.

It was after Christmas dinner. Everything had gone smoothly. They had arrived on time, helped with preparation, and made fun of Vernon while he consumed a veritable bushel of potatoes and an entire flock of turkeys.

The real trouble came after dinner.

Everyone retired to their rooms to wrap presents.

This would have been okay, had James known how to wrap presents.

Now, James considered himself a Christmas connoisseur. The holiday guru. The undoubted, unquestionable, unopposed king of the season.

But the one thing he had never gotten a hang of was gift wrapping.

Generally, he would just stick the present in question- generally for his parents, or one of the lads- in a piece of newspaper, then cover it with tape and hope it stayed together.

But, as much as his mind tried to convince him that he was nothing to Lily, and that he was not right for her, she was special to him.

And her present needed to reflect how beautiful she was.

Fortunately, he had foreseen this problem while shopping. So he kicked Sirius out of the garret and set to work.

 _-x-x-x-_

James walked downstairs to find the entire family- and Sirius- gathered in the entrance. All were bundled up, with Lily standing off to the side, eyes sparkling with laughter at something Mr. Evans had said. Sirius, too, was doubled over, his chuckles filling the hallway.

In stark contrast to this scene of holiday merriment, Petunia and Vernon were huddled to the side of the foyer, giving the trio at the other end dirty looks.

James slid down the banister, landing in a neat pile at the bottom. "Why do I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know what we're doing?" he said from the floor.

Lily's face appeared over him, her eyes sparkling. She was wearing a grey peacoat and a scarlet beret, as well as his scarf. _Winter clothes? What the heck?_

"Probably because you are," she said cheerfully, extending her hand to help him up, then keeping her hand intertwined with his.

"Well, would you care to explain? Aren't we opening presents?" His head snapped toward hers, making eye contact. "Do we open the presents _outside?_ Do you know how _cool_ that would be-"

Mr. Evans laughed. "No, m'boy. Didn't Lily tell you? Every Christmas Eve we go caroling."

James looked at her and said nothing. A worry line creased her brow.

"Er, surprise? We don't have to go if you don't want to-"

James couldn't keep his act up any longer. He jumped up and cheered, then picked Lily up and swung her around. "Are you _kidding?_ I _love_ Christmas carols! I love singing! I love music! And most, most, _most_ of all _-_ "

He broke off and looked expectantly at Sirius, who nodded at him and joined in.

" _We love Christmas!"_

He started to chant. "IT'S CHRISTMAS BLOODY EVE!"

Sirius and Lily caught on to the chant, and they began to slowly and ritualistically circle Vernon and Petunia. Only by choking off laughter could Mr. Evans ward off the Christmas vultures.

"Come along, my dear children," Mr. Evans said, cheerily waving the unwaveringly chanting students through the door. "James, get a coat, it's started to snow."

"Really?" James said interestedly. "It looked clear when we were flying earlier."

Sirius handed him his aviator jacket from the hall closet. James put it on, then nabbed the beanie from on top of Sirius's head.

"Hey!" Sirius protested, clapping his hand to his chest.. "After all I've done for you?"

James smiled charmingly at Sirius. "Honestly, Sirius, you should have gone into drama, not architecture. Anyways," he said, adjusting the beanie snugly around his ears, "you have hair. Your ears will be warm. Mine will not."

James did not miss Sirius sticking his tongue out at him, followed quickly by a rather rude hand gesture.

He stepped towards the door and Lily. She turned at him, beaming. "I love this part of Christmas. I know no matter how much Vernon complains, or Petunia sulks, or whatever changes happen, this always stays the same." She handed him a booklet. He waved it away.

"I don't need that. I'm Christmas Jesus, remember?"

"I think Jesus is Christmas Jesus."

"Whatever. The point is, I know all those songs. I don't need a book to tell me what's in my heart all year long."

"I thought there was only room for Van Halen in your heart."

"Christmas Eruption. Duh."

"How could I be so silly. Anyways, are you sure you know, um," she flipped to the back of the chorus book, "the, er, third verse of "Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella"?

"What I don't know, I am confident enough to make up."

She smiled and shook her head at him. "You can share with me, Potter."

"I can invent."

"I will not have you making up lyrics that are probably wildly inappropriate around the entire town."

"Ah, but it will scandalize Petunia to no end."

She bit her lip. "Damn, you're right. Go for it."

Sirius came up behind the two and clapped their shoulders, startling them both enough to jump. "Ah, did I surprise you two? Scare the two lovebirds out of the nest?"

"It's just an act, you know that, Sirius," James said. Sirius lifted his eyebrows at James. _We'll talk later_ , he mouthed from behind Lily. "So, what I came over here to talk about was how much Vernon hates caroling. You two know what that means!"

Lily linked arms with the two boys who had come to mean more to her than she could have imagined. She joined their cheer. "Do it as exuberantly as possible!"

Sirius began to skip down the street, singing "Deck the Halls" very loudly and off-key. Lily, whose arms were still linked with Sirius's, was dragged off laughing into the night.


	18. Three Excuses

**Okay, I've been on vacation, so this has been written in bits and pieces. Maybe it flows; maybe it doesn't. Whatever. I'm still basking off of my success of having posted more than one chapter in one week. I don't think you guys get how important that is to me. I'm like, pumped. I'm getting myself out of crippling procrastination! Kind of! Mostly it's been my beta, honorary-marauder-1 who's been getting me out of my procrastination, do cheers. Check her out, she deserves all the love.**

 **Anyways, please review! Please tell me what you think! Thank you, and enjoy!**

The three students stumbled in the door, laughing and singing, quickly followed by a staunch couple with their lips pursed and brows pointed downwards. James, Sirius and Lily tripped merrily up the stairs, shouting a rousing chorus of "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas". She stopped at her door, red-nosed and eyes sparkling.

"Well, gents, this is me. Meet you downstairs in five for the gift exchange?"

Sirius waved her off. "Gift exchange? More like, y'all fall at my feet in astonishment of the gifts I bought for you!"

Lily smiled. "I take it that your shopping trip with my dad went well?"

Sirius smiled. "Are you kidding? The stores are the finest in the entire universe! Where else could I buy a- wait, I can't say that. Whatever. I met a nice-looking bird behind the counter of Emmet's too-"

Lily's face suddenly drained of all color. James frowned at her, and made to grab her arm, but then seemed to think better of it. "Are you alright, Evans?"

She looked over at him, a hint of hurt in her face. _Evans? You idiot!_

"I'm um, fine. Meet you downstairs in a second."

The two boys went upstairs. Sirius shut the door, his smile melting off his face. "What the hell, man?"

James turned around from his stack of presents, confused. "I'm sorry?"

"I said, _what the hell?"_

"Yes, I understand that, I'm just not sure why."

"You have been chasing after that girl for four years. You have done everything in your power to make her like you, and you have dragged me and Remus and Pete and sometimes even Frank and Alan in on it. We did not suffer for nothing. I did not scatter a thousand rose petals outside Kellynch in the shape of a giant heart for _nothing_. I did not hide a thirty part scavenger hunt- which she _never finished_ once she figured out it was from you- for _nothing._ I did not wake up at _four in the bloody morning_ every day for two months to go with you to watch her in the orchestra for _nothing._ I didn't go out and find a _carrier pigeon_ for you to ask her out with for _nothing._ I don't know what's going on in your mind, but you just hurt that girl by not trying to comfort her when she was quite clearly upset. Get your act together, James. You're an idiot, especially when it comes to Lily Evans, and you clearly have never had a good way to read her feelings, but she's finally starting to like you, and _you_ are going to blow it."

"Sirius, you don't understand. It's for her own good."

"Bullshit. You're scared of another rejection."

"Am not!"

"You are so!"  
"She deserves a smart, funny, kind, capable man who can support her. I am none of those things."

"We both know you can support her. You're funny, and you get the best marks in the class, other than her. You are incredibly capable- you've been basically living on your own ever since your mum took that position in the government when you were- what, eleven? Prongs, I'm only going to say this once: Lily Evans is meant for one person and one person only: it's you. You can match each other in wit and wisdom, and you balance each other out in your types of common sense. There's no escaping it, James. You're meant to be. You can't pull away now." He paused. "Also, she loves Christmas about as much as you do, and trust me when I say it takes a special type of person to tolerate that much nuttiness."

James scrutinized Sirius for a minute, then pulled him in for a hug. "Thanks, Padfoot. You really are the greatest."

Sirius laughed into James's shoulder. "We didn't even have to find a ping-pong table this time."

"Well, I'm not an arrogant berk who can't admit when he's wrong."

"Or you just wanted to boost your ego."

James shoved him. "Get your presents downstairs, you idiot."

Sirius smirked back at him. "Takes one to know one, jerk." His eyebrows creased in the middle as he took in the present on the top of James's stack. "What the _bloody hell_ is _that_?"

A large, square package balanced precariously on the top of the present pile in James's arms. It was wrapped in newspaper, but was bedecked with Christmas baubles, ornaments, and garland galore. Sirius choked back his laughter. "What is _that_?! It looks like the ugly Christmas sweater of Christmas presents!"

James turned his nose up. "At least I tried. Yours is just the usual lump of newspaper and masking tape."

Sirius clapped his hand to his heart. "I'm so glad you care for me."

From downstairs, they could hear the faint strains of Lily's very out-of-tune Carol of the Bells. Sirius chuckled again and clapped a hand to James's shoulder. "That sounds like our cue, mate. Let's go."

James and Sirius tripped down the stairs, with Sirius still loudly making fun of James's wrapping job. Upon reaching the entrance to the dining room, however, Sirius stopped short in his teasing.

"Looks like Lily likes ugly Christmas sweaters after all," James said smugly.

And it appeared she did. Arranging presents in front of James's masterfully decorated Christmas tree, Lily was wearing a home-knitted, overlarge Christmas sweater with a sleigh and reindeer worked on the front, complete with miniscule jingle bells sewed onto the reins. Her scarlet hair was bound by a length of garland and accented with holly, and her green and red plaid skirt was worn over a pair of tights with snowflakes on them. Sirius whistled. "Man, your wrapping job was one hell of a lucky guess."

Upon hearing them, Lily turned around and caught sight of the two boys. Smiling and their bemused expressions at their appearance, she walked over to pick up their gifts. "What, never seen a Christmas sweater before?"

"Um, you seem to have forgotten that my parents are fun-hating lunatics," Sirius mumbled, still taking in her garb.

Mr. Evans rolled in. "How are my three favorite university students this fine Christmas Eve?" he said, adding his presents to the pile.

"Mr. Evans, I have some bad news," Sirius said.

Lily's father frowned, pushing his spectacles further up his nose. "Is something wrong, my dear boy?"

"I have to go home tomorrow."

"Surely not! I simply will not allow you to live with those people anymore. You shall stay with us."

Sirius smiled. "Oh, no, I'm never going back to Bitterwood. I inherited a decent bit of money from my Uncle Alphard last semester- he was banished from the family, too, and he bit it. He was old though, so- well, that's not the point. I was just there this break to gather my stuff. I bought an apartment, and I'm going to move into it after graduation."

"Then where on earth are you going?"

"James's. One of our other friends, Remus, is getting back from Australia tomorrow and I'm going to keep him company."

"This Remus, is he a musician like you?"

"Yeah, he's the bassist for the Marauders."

"That's a silly name for a band," Petunia said, coming down the stairs in high heels and a snowy white blouse, balancing a small pile of presents in her hands.

"Really? I seem to remember you coming up with significantly sillier band names when you and Lily were children," Mr. Evans said from behind the tree, causing Petunia to lift her nose haughtily and stain her pale cheeks red.

Sirius gasped. "Petunia Evans, creating a band? The notorious music-hater? Shocking!"

James smirked. "Ah, so many layers to the Petunia onion."

Lily looked at the other two sarcastically. "How _ever_ will we peel them all away?"

Petunia sniffed dismissively, then talked to her father. "Since I did all my shopping early, like any _normal_ person, I don't have anything for those two."

James grinned. "Ah, excellent. That makes it so much easier for me and Sirius to give you our present." He looked over at Sirius. "Speaking of which, did you acquire the present of which we discussed for Vernon?"

Sirius nodded soberly. "Of course, Prongs. Could I ever forget something so important?"

James looked at him. "You once forgot to bring your guitar to a gig. Of course you could forget."

"Yeah, well, this time I didn't."

Mr. Evans sighed. "Petunia, this is why we always shop the day of Christmas Eve. You know that our house has always been open to friends, so we have presents for everyone we know is going to be here."

"Vernon and I already did our Christmas shopping."

James leaned on the arm of the sofa. "Really, Mr. Evans, it isn't a big deal. It probably would have been a set of vases, or something."

Vernon came down the stairs as Petunia opened her mouth to retort. Pulling his coat from the hook, he addressed Mr. Evans.

"Lawrence, I have to go to my sister Marge's. One of her pitbulls died, and she needs the family there. I'll see you around the twenty-sixth."

James and Sirius scrambled to their feet. "Hello, Vernon," James said. "We have something for you."

Vernon looked suspiciously at the two, eyeing the matching smiles adorning their faces.

"It's a present, for Christmas," Sirius added, holding out a lump of newspaper held together by layers and layers of masking tape.

Still suspicious, Vernon took the present and began to unwrap it. Out of it fell a two-pound arm weight, a toy soldier, and a fire alarm.

"What are these?"

"These are all for helping your drill company," James said innocently.

"The weight is for your body building drills-" Sirius said.

"And the soldier is for your military drills-" James continued.

"And the fire alarm is for your fire drills," Sirius concluded.

James smirked at the increasing purple of Dursley's face. "We still aren't quite sure what sort of drills you work with, so we covered all the important ones."

"Cheerio, and have a happy Christmas with your family!" Sirius said, nearly shoving him out the door and locking it behind him. He slid down the surface of the floor to the ground and sighed.

Mr. Evans chuckled. "So this Remus chap is one of your friends, then?"

Sirius smiled. "The best. Other than Jamsie over there, and Pete. But Pete's in France with some chap with a creepy name."

"Well, any friend of Lily's, and subsequently James', and subsequently yours, is a friend of mine. Invite him to the wedding."

"Father!" Petunia gasped. "It's my wedding!"

"Which I am paying for," Mr. Evans said calmly. "I feel like I should be able to invite a few bright young people to cheer myself and Lily up."

Petunia gaped, mouthing wordlessly at her father. He clapped his hands.

"So, let's get to presents, people!"

 _-x-x-x-_

The Evans family living room was strewn with wrapping paper and littered with laughs. Lily was happily surrounded by new sheet music from Sirius and a gold-plated mouthpiece from her father. A new teal beret was perched upon her head from Petunia, and off to the side, a rather ugly vase was sitting from Vernon (to James' endless amusement).

Lily tossed James a package wrapped in paper with images of mistletoe and holly. Perched atop the immaculate package was a tag that read:

 _To: Flyboy_

 _From: Lily-flower_

 _Happy Christmas, Idiot_

James smiled and tore the paper open, pulling out a Puddlemere United football jersey. "Bloody hell, Lily, how did you know I tore mine apart?" He stopped to look at her. "Unless you were checking my shredded shirt out to see my shredded abs."

Lily blushed. "No, Remus was complaining about how you were whining about how it got ripped in an Ultimate Frisbee tournament during our Edu term finals. So I picked one up for you. Mostly for Remus' sake."

"Sure, that's your story."

"It's the truth!"

"Mhm. Anyways, here's yours."

He handed over the large, cube-shaped box, outrageously ornamented with Christmas baubles galore. Petunia turned her nose up and sniffed in disgust (although James thought that was leftover resentfulness from the singing curlers and pamphlet he gave her). Lily, however, laughed in delight and carefully cut the paper apart.

"I don't want to ruin it, it's so… you," she said, laughing. James caught his breath at her statement.

 _Could it really be?_

Her smile froze when she finally unwrapped it. Beneath the swaths of paper, ornaments, and garland was a stack of records- at least twenty. She leafed through them.

"Best of Tchaikovsky- Stravinsky's Greatest Works-" she looked up at James. "How did you know I wanted all of these?"

He shifted uncomfortably, running his hand through his hair. "Well, I ran across this record shop in Exeter, right? It had a picture of last year's summer orchestra in the window, and, well, your hair sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Rude."

"So I went in and asked if he had anything that the group had played on vinyl, and he asked why, right? So I told him I was looking for something for my fri- er, girlfriend, and he asked who, because apparently everyone knows everyone around here. So I told him, and he pulled out this stack of records he said you had on reserve. I hope it's okay-"

She flung herself across the paper-strewn room, hugging him so tightly he had trouble catching his breath. From behind them, Mr. Evans began to whoop.

"Oooh, look who got caught under the mistletoe!"

The two looked up to see the offending plant dangling above them. Lily closed her eyes and let out a breath.

 _Damn._

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" Sirius and Mr. Evans began to chant. Petunia huffed and stood up.

"I'm going to bed, we have to go to church tomorrow."

Mr. Evans looked over at her and held out his arms for a hug. Petunia reluctantly stepped over and obliged. "Good night, my flower."

"Night, Dad."

As Petunia walked up the steps, Mr. Evans looked at the two frozen under the mistletoe. "Well, I don't think you two need much convincing to kiss, do I'm going to zip off to bed. Goodnight, kiddos, and happy Christmas."

He sped out of the room, his new wheelchair flags whipping along behind him. Sirius stood up to follow. "Well, lovedoves, you two can do… whatever. I'm going to bed. Night."

Lily snorted. "Lovedoves? He's nearly as bad as Marlene."

James smirked. "They have more in common than you'd think."

Suddenly, his closeness to Lily and their situation registered with James. With his newly bolstered confidence, he leaned closer to Lily.

"Isn't it bad luck to not kiss under the mistletoe?"

Lily caught her breath. "I think so," she whispered, her eyes darting to his lips.

His lips bent up in a smirk. "We better not risk it, then. Right?"

She didn't have time to respond as he closed the space between them, catching the corner of her mouth with his. Her lips quirked up into a smile as his hand curled around her waist, softly jingling the bells on her sweater. His other hand tucked up underneath her hair, his finger feeling the clasp of the necklace he had bought her around her neck. She moved closer to him, sliding one hand on his shoulder and exhaling softly.

He finally broke away. "That should keep us safe, yeah?"

She gazed at him. "Probably." The clock in the hallway chimed midnight.

"Happy Christmas, James."

"Happy Christmas, Lily."


	19. New Plans

**OKAY SO MY LAST TWO VERSIONS OF THIS STORY HAVE POSTED INCORRECTLY. PLEASE READ THIS ONE, AND I AM SO SORRY FOR WASTING YOUR TIME.**

 **Hello, lads and ladies, and I am happy to say that I am back! I just got back from vacation, and I am ready to write in full force. I start band today, too, though, so that will take away some of my evening writing time. But I promise I'll write a little bit every day, and I'll have chapters out in a more timely manner.**

 **I really am sorry for the wait, guys. I'm going to try really hard from now on to keep the wait between chapters less than a week or week and a half.**

 **Thanks to my dearest darling honorary-marauder-1, who is the best beta in the entire world. She's writing an excellent Jily fic called How To Move On 101 and I would highly recommend it, because it is beautiful.**

 **Anyways, on to the chapter. Thanks for sticking around, guys. Love you all, and please, please, please review.**

"Hey, you ready to go?"

James' head poked through Lily's door, finding her in the corner of the room. After church, Mr. Evans had somberly shut himself in his music studio, from whence the trickling notes of "Stardust" floated up two flights of stairs. James had found out from Lily why he hated Christmas Day so much- it was his wife's favorite day on earth, and it was the day his sister had been killed by a drunk driver. After all he had been through, James admired his chipper outlook the rest of the year.

Lily smiled back at him, leaning her head against the papered wall. "Yeah, I'll be right out. This is the last track on the Bach record."

He walked over to the wall she was leaning on and sat down beside her. "You might want to bring a spare set of clothes. We live on the coast and it's already late in the day, and the weather's sort of unpredictable this time of year. We might have to stick the night out there."

"Yeah, sure. Get out of my room and let me listen to my lord and savior in peace. I'll meet you by Bertha in ten."

"Aye aye, captain."

 _-x-x-x-_

Lily started to get suspicious halfway through the first hour.

"Potter, you had better not be taking me on one of your hairbrained adventures again, or I swear-"

"Why, my dearest Lily-flower, whatever would lead you to that assumption?"

"Um, how about the fact that we've been driving for over an hour when you told me you lived near Exeter."

"I told you I lived near the coast."

"Yeah. Exmouth. At the beginning of the trip, you told me you lived near Exeter, and Exmouth is near the sea, and Exeter."

"Actually, what I told you was that Exeter was on my way home."

"So you led me on."

"I may have exaggerated a tiny bit."

"A tiny bit."

"An infinitesimal bit. Anyways, I live in St. Ives."

"That's not near here! It's more than two hours away!"

"Ah, Exeter is on the way. So I wasn't lying."

"You're ridiculous."

"You flatter me."

"Can we cut the flirting?"Sirius's bored voice rang out from the backseat. "You guys don't have to pretend to be dating anymore."

Lily and James blushed, looking away from each other. "We weren't flirting," Lily protested weakly.

"Sure you weren't. Now cut the romantic bullcrap and let a man listen to Van Halen in peace."

 _-x-x-x-_

"Um, Lily?"

"Yes, James?"

"Before we get to my house, I'd like to tell you something."

She looked at him sharply. "You didn't bring me here so we could hide a body, did you?"

"No, I did not."

"A pity, that, because I'd be pretty good at it."

"I have no doubt. But-"

Lily waved him aside. "Holy shit, James, look at _that_."

Before them, a large, stone, almost castle-like building had risen out of the horizon. Situated on the sandy coast of the Atlantic ocean, the house was built out of enormous stone blocks, piled on each other until the house reached four stories. The roof had windows jutting out every few feet, and the Union Jack flew from a flagpole as tall as the building itself.

"How has enough money to _live_ there?" Lily wondered in amazement.

"Er, I do," James said, shifting uncomfortably.

Lily turned to look at him, eyes wide and mouth slightly parted. For one awful moment, James thought that Lily was going to laugh at him- but instead, she turned around to look at Sirius. "Black, is this one of Potter's pranks?"

"No, ma'am."

Lily turned around and sat silently for a minute as James parked the van in front of the enormous house. When she finally spoke, it was the opposite of what James expected.

"Why do you drive this hunk of junk if you've got enough money to buy a Maserati?"  
"Be nice to Bertha! And I don't need a flashy car."

"That contradicts everything I know about you."

He shrugged. "I got Bertha when I was eighteen and heading out to university. School was fine because I went to a private one, and everyone who goes there was loaded. So being rich wasn't a big deal there. But most people are normal, middle-class folks, and I didn't want to stand out because I was rich; I wanted to stand out because I was me."

She smiled and got out of the car, looking up in wonderment at the house. "Well, I think you've done a pretty good job."

 _-x-x-x-_

A little more than an hour later, Lily had settled into the room James had showed her to, a guest room of a pale blue with white-finished furniture and a balcony. Treading lightly around, she took in the opulent settings around her. A terrible thought struck her, hitting her so hard she stopped walking altogether.

 _This is where James lives. Our home must have seemed so small and insignificant to him. Nothing I could ever do or have can measure up to this- I am only a low middle-class girl who got into the university on scholarship._

 _Don't be ridiculous,_ said a small but strong voice in the back of her mind. _You were with James the whole time, and he seemed absolutely delighted with my home and my father and Cokeworth altogether. Just because he's rich doesn't mean he looks down on others; that's not James' style. At least I grew up with warm parents, his are gone so often. Imagine growing up in this place taking care of yourself._

With a shiver, Lily trod on to find James.

 _-x-x-x-_

She found Sirius in the second floor library, poring over some architecture tome on the sofa. She collapsed next to him, letting out a sigh of exhaustion.

"Jeez, this place gives you a workout. James put me on some room on the fourth floor, and I checked every single room from there to here looking for one of you."

Sirius laughed, looking up from his book. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Pete and Remus and James and I have been playing hide-and-go seek here for years, and it's a nightmare trying to find anyone."

"Didn't you guys meet when you were eleven?"

Sirius looked hurt. "Are you saying that we're too old to play hide-and-seek? I would say you are wrong. It is one of the joys of this world and fun has no age limit."

Lily laughed along with him. "Sure, Sirius. Whatever you say." She looked around. "Are you sure Mr. And Mrs. Potter would be okay with my being here?"

"Are you kidding? They've heard so much about you, they feel like you're family already."

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind. Anyways, the Potter home is always open to anyone, they want James to have folks around while they're not."

"Where is James, anyways?"

Sirius wrinkled his nose distastefully and started flipping through his book again. "Up _there_."

Up there, as it turned out, was up two flights of stairs and one fold-out ladder to the Potter's expansive attic, where Lily found James rooting around a corner full of boxes. Before she could even ask what he was doing, he shoved a large stack of cardboard containers unceremoniously into her arms. Peeking around the teetering tower and coughing from the layer of dust that had rested on the surface of each box, Lily looked at James confusedly.

"Um, James?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"May I ask what the hell is going on? You've been missing for two hours, and when I finally find you you're covered in a half-inch of dust and surrounded by a sea of boxes a mile wide. What's going on?"

He let out a puff of air and ran his fingers through his already disheveled hair. "Well, Remus has been in Australia since the beginning of December, right? He undoubtedly did not have a good Christmas, since he had a surgery and is now on a twenty-four hour flight to London- with a layover in _America_ , of all places. So we are going to throw his a kick-ass Christmas, complete with gifts, singing, and Christmas dinner, and exquisite decorations. So, I'm looking for the garland that usually goes on the grand staircase, and in the process, I found a bunch of old decorations we can use to make this place look really holiday-y." He noticed the half-smile that had curled Lily's mouth slightly upwards. "What?"

"Nothing. It's just… really sweet the way you four care for each other."

He grinned cheerily. "They're my family. I'd do anything to make any of them happy. So, what do you say? I know you guys don't really do Christmas past Christmas Eve, but would you help me make Remus's holiday season?"

"I wish you had told me sooner," Lily said reproachfully.

James frowned worriedly, biting his lip. "I'm sorry, you don't have to do this if you don't want to, I can give you Bertha's keys and you can spend Christmas with your family, I'm so sorry, I didn't think this through and I should have realized that I can't just drag you places without warning-"

Lily laughed, cutting him off. "No, it's just that I didn't bring any of my Christmas sweaters."

James' rich laughter joined hers. "I think we can scare something up. Now, I'll take these and also get Sirius- he hates the attic but he loves Christmas. He'll help decorate."

James left Lily in the middle of a dusty old attic, surrounded by boxes and decorations and the scent of Christmas and James.

Lily thought she had never been happier.

 _-x-x-x-_

Four hours later brought a house bedecked within an inch of its life and three very tired students. The staircases were draped with garland, candles shone in every window, and wherever wreaths, holly, and, at the insistence of Sirius, mistletoe, could be hung, they were.

But the crowning glory were the trees.

James had left about halfway through and came back with no less than ten Christmas trees. There was one in the entrance, the library, the kitchen, the living room, the game room, and one in each of their own rooms, including Lily and Remus'. Sirius had even put a small artificial tree in each of the bathrooms.

At James' insistence, a great deal of care had been lavished on each of these trees, the personal ones in particular. James spent a significant amount of time long after the other two holiday decorators had moved on to adorning the hallways.

After their holiday decorations had been strewn in every nook, cranny, and crevice of the house, the three Christmas elves had split. Lily, however, was restless, and set out to find James.

Somehow, she knew he would be on the roof. To her, he seemed like such an open-air person- and he loved flying so much, she knew he would want to be as near to the sky as he could be. So she stood hesitantly outside his bedroom door to find his balcony- she knew he would have a way up there. With a final _click_ , James' bedroom door swung open, and Lily went inside.

It was just as she thought it would look like- NOT that she'd spent time imagining what James' bedroom would look like, of course- but it looked like he did. The walls were a deep forest green, but were covered almost completely in posters of rock bands, so you could hardly tell. In a corner sat a drumset, as well as a marimba and vibraphone, much to her surprise. In another corner an enormous plush armchair was nestled between two large bookshelves, all stuffed with books. Large windows lined one wall, and a large bed was positioned to one side. Over the bed, pictures of James and his friends were taped up. Lily moved closer to see. One was of James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter, all much younger, in front of their school. Another was of their band, the Marauders, during the end-of-school concert series the year before. All four boys had looks of concentration on their faces, but were clearly enjoying themselves and the energy from the excited crowd.

Another picture was of James and two adults Lily didn't recognize, but who looked enough like James that she knew they were his parents. Another was a photo of James with a large, goofy grin, holding up a sign in front of an airplane that said, "First Solo Flight Completed!".

Then Lily saw herself.

There was a picture that a kind old lady had taken of them in front of York Minster- with both boys' arms slung around her shoulder and shot mid-laugh. Another was a picture James had snapped while she was giving out Christmas gifts, with her smiling and pointing finger guns at the camera. With a chuckle, she saw the picture James had taken of her with a milkshake mustache in front of Exeter Cathedral.

Lily walked out the sliding glass doors to the balcony, smirking when she saw a swinging rope ladder scaling the sides of the house. And to her immense satisfaction, a pair of gangly legs swung rhythmically over the side of the roof.

She climbed up and laid down on the roof next to James, not saying anything, but just looking up at the stars. After about ten minutes, James spoke.

"Lily, why are you doing this?"

Lily looked over, confused. "What?"  
"Why are you studying to do something with your life that isn't your dream?"

She scowled. "Education is a perfectly acceptable field."

"Of course it is, but is it right for you?"  
She looked over at him. His face was morose and melancholy, and his hazel eyes were fixed on Lily from behind his square-framed glasses.

"You could still honor your mom- teach music, Lily. You're a wonderful musician, and your sister isn't a good reason to do something you don't love. And really, will your sister ever be satisfied with what you do?"

Lily felt herself getting irrationally angry. "You don't know what's going on in our family," she snapped.

"I never said-"

"Who are you to tell me what I should be doing with my life, jeez? You spend your days pranking and goofing off- at least I have a goal."

"Lily, I-"

"No! Spending a couple of days with my family is not enough to tell me what I want and what my sister wants and you can shut your face. I am going into education, and you don't know me well enough to tell me otherwise."

"Lily, please-"

"I don't want to be here right now."

"Lily, wait, please-"

Lily climbed down the rope ladder and ran out of James' room- past the pictures of him and his family and his friends and _her-_ past the bed and the book case and his stupid drumset. She could hear him trying to get down the ladder, and she veered to the right, hoping against hope it was the way to her room.

Lily stomped into her room, slamming the door behind her. She threw herself onto the large bed, pressed a pillow to her face and screamed.

She kept it there long after she was done screaming. She didn't want to face the world, or James, or her sister, or the thought of giving up music to be a teacher. Breathing deeply, she eased her face up and caught sight of the softly glowing Christmas tree James had lavished such attention on. She got up from the bed and padded over to the tree.

It was a tall, sort of thin Christmas tree- Lily had picked it out from the ten James got because it was a little strangely shaped, but had beautiful, soft, full needles. Jsmes had wrapped the tree in small, yellowish-gold lights, with small, star-like garland around it.

What was the best, however, was the ornaments.

When she had first seen James sit down by the entrance hall tree with a stack of scrapbooking paper and scissors, she had laughed at him. However, he had just wiggled his eyebrows and responded, "I couldn't find the ornaments and this is all I can do. Give a man a break."

Lily's was covered in music notes and cars, candy canes- and to her amusement, origami lilies. She touched the paper French horn James had carefully folded and creased and hung on her tree. She rubbed the paper gently, looking at the tree James had spent close to an hour on just for her.

 _Was I too hard on him? He was probably just trying to help after all- but I guess that after all those years of fighting left me with an overreaction trigger when it comes to James. I should probably go apologize._

 _No, he's probably angry at me, too. Maybe I should just let it rest overnight and apologize in the morning. Yeah, I'll do that._

Although Lily went to bed, she spent hours gazing at the tree in the corner of the blue room, wondering how she could take all the things she said back.

In the other wing of the house, there was a sad young man wondering the exact same thing.


	20. Moonymas

**IF YOU DID NOT READ MY UPDATED VERSION OF LAST CHAPTER PLEASE DO SO NOW!**

 **There are some important plot points that were missed when I uploaded the first updated version of the last chapter. Please reread it! It will make so much more sense!  
Anyways! Thank you all for sticking around, I love you guys so much. It means so much to me every time you drop me a line. Every follow, every favorite, every review, every private message- those keep me going, keep me writing. Never underestimate the power of kindness. Speaking of which, you guys should check out my extraordinary beta, honorary-marauder-1! She writes a fantastic Jily fic, which I highly recommend. Please tell me what you like and dislike, and what I can do better!**

 **Please review, and enjoy!**

" _Lily, please come down."_

 _"Leave me alone, Potter. I don't need you here mocking me."_

 _"Listen to me, Evans. You didn't deserve what he said about you. You are a brilliant woman, and nothing anyone says will ever change that." He paused. "And I would never call you a- a-"_

 _"Cut the crap, Potter. It's your fault Sev called me- that name."_

 _"Didn't you know what kind of crowd he was hanging with? It seemed like it was a long time coming to me-"_

 _"Shut up! You shut up. Sev is- was, my oldest friend. He was a good person. The only thing that led to this was_ you _and your_ stupid _'pranks', and that's what you called them, pranks! They aren't pranks if they hurt people, Potter!" She stopped to sniff. "I don't see what Remus sees in you."_

 _He sighed. "Yeah, me neither."_

 _Lily was quiet. He could hear her sniffing in the tree. "I didn't mean it."_

 _"What?"_

 _"What I said. Yeah, you're a shitty person, sometimes, but you do care about people. You make people laugh, and mostly, you're an okay bloke." She stopped talking. The moon shone down on the common courtyard, finally allowing James a view of Lily. Her lips were chapped, her nose was running, and her eyes were puffy and red. Her clothes were rumpled and she had a grey cloche hat pulled over her hair, which was sticking out at all sorts of odd angles._

 _James thought she was beautiful._

 _"I knew it was coming," Lily said, her voice rough and scratchy from crying. "It's hard to turn a blind eye to the things he did. Did you hear how he and Avery jumped Mary McDonald last week?"_

 _"Yeah."_

 _"I talked to him about it, and he said he was going to stop. He said he was going to change." She stopped, a catch in her voice. "I didn't believe him. He'd said it before. But he was the one who first believed in me, and my dream to go to this university, you know? My family didn't think I could get in. But he was my friend. And I hoped-" She stopped, wiping her nose with the back of her hand. "Whatever. You don't want to hear my sob story, Potter. Go back to your friends. Give my best to Remus."_

 _"I'm not leaving, Evans. You're stuck with me." He paused, frowning. "And you can tell Remus yourself, you're coming to our show tomorrow, right? You usually come to see him for a little while."_

 _"Don't be ridiculous. Go back to Gryffindor Hall, you have exams tomorrow. And I called my dad earlier. He and my mum are coming to pick me up tomorrow morning."_

 _"He doesn't need to. I'll drive you home."_

 _"Don't be ridiculous, Potter. You have things to do." She stopped. "And, no offense, but I don't really want to see anyone right now."_

 _"Well, either way, you should probably get out of the tree, you have a journey ahead of you, and you probably need some sleep."_

 _"No, I've already been to my dorm. Sev- er, Snape told me he'd camp out in front of my door until I forgave him. Marlene's covering for me, I climbed out the window. And I am never, ever leaving this tree. Until I get to leave."_

 _"Well, I'm staying here too, then."_

 _"What?"_

 _"I'll be here to make sure you don't fall out of that tree in your sleep or something stupid like that," he said, cracking a smile. "And if Sniv- er, if anyone you don't want comes around, I'll ward them off."_

 _She smiled sadly. "Thanks, Potter."_

 _When she said his name, his heart broke a little for her. And over her. But her forced a smile and sat down at the base of the tree._

 _"Potter?"_

 _"Yeah?"_

 _"If you insist on spending the night with me-"_

 _He chuckled. Even without looking at her, he could feel her glare burning into his skull. He cleared his throat and arranged his face into a sober expression. "Right. Sorry, go on."_

 _"What I was going to say is, do you mind if we don't talk? I'm sort of having a lot to process and I'd rather do it on my own. Especially since you're really sort of directly involved."_

 _His heart split in two. For her, and himself. Through one interaction with the man James had long since dubbed the most despicable person on the face of the earth, he had shattered the heart of one of the people he loved the most, and ruined any chance of getting to know her. To her, he would forever be linked to Snivellus' betrayal, and would never again let him be as close to her as he was now._

 _But first and foremost, he wanted her to be happy._

 _"Yeah, of course. But don't think you're getting rid of me. I_ am _driving you to the train station tomorrow."_

 _"Marlene is. Thank you, though." She paused. "I give you a lot of crap, Potter, but when it comes down to it, you're an okay person. Thanks for, er, sticking around."_

 _"Nothing to it. Rest up, okay?"_

 _She leaned back in her branch. "I'll probably be gone before you get up tomorrow. Please apologize to Remus and give him my love, okay?"_

Well, I'd rather keep it for myself _, James thought. "Yeah, he'll understand."_

 _"Good night, Potter. And… thanks for the pep talk."_

 _"Turns out being football captain is worth something after all."_

 _Her lips crept upwards. "It appears my junior self is going to have to eat her own words."_

 _"And how eloquent they were."_

 _She laughed drily. "As I recall, there was a significant expletive about every three words."_

 _"So there was."_

 _"Now, really, Potter. Good night."_

 _James sat silently until he heard her breathing grow steady. He lifted himself up into the tree and sat on an adjacent branch, draping his jacket across her and looping his scarlet and gold scarf around her neck._

 _"Good night, dearest Lily."_

 _-x-x-x-_

James woke up from his dream and felt his heart sink as he remembered the night before. Lily hated him.

 _How could I have been so stupid?_ James thought, dragging himself out of bed to his dresser. _Petunia has always been a sore subject for Lily- even former Idiot Me knew not to talk about her. She's off limits. She always has been._

He morosely dragged a red-and-green flannel on over a grey t-shirt. _I guess I just couldn't stand the thought of her wasting her life away trying to prove herself to that- that- woman. She has so much potential._

 _I have to apologize._

Pulling his sneakers on, James hopped out the door in search for the ever-elusive Lily Evans.

 _-x-x-x-_

"Lily, what are you doing out here? It's freezing cold."

Lily turned back to James with a glassy, faraway look in her eyes. She hugged her arms closer to her and shivered. Gesturing to the choppy, grey waves, she whispered, "Isn't it strange to think that across that ocean, far away, there are real people, with real lives and real problems and real joys and real families? And to them, we are the same thing, a thought about how strange life is. Isn't it humbling and frightening and _strange_ to think that in the course of the world, we are just a tiny, tiny blip in the history of the universe?"

Instinctively, James drew her closer to him and put his hands on her forearms. He could see every freckle on her pale skin, every streak of brown and gold and silver in her flaming tresses. He could feel her breath on his face, steaming his glasses on the frigid winter morning. He took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Lily, I know that in the grand scheme of things, we seem small and insignificant. But believe me, as the proclaimed King of Scheming, we may not seem important- in fact, we may have no effect on the course of the world at all. But we do have an impact on those around us. Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail, and, well, you- you guys are my family. _You_ have left an imprint on _our_ lives- and that in itself is enough to feel significant, I think."

Lily buried her face in the fabric of James' flannel shirt and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I've been thinking about what you said last night on the roof," Lily said, her voice muffled.

"I'm so sorry, Lily, it was absolutely not my place to get involved, I know I have no idea what your life is like-"

"No," she interrupted. "I'm going to do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I can still honor my mother and do what I love. It's the right thing, and I'm glad you shoved me in the right direction."

He balanced his chin on her head. _It wouldn't take much to lean down and kiss her now…_

"Where's Sirius?"

"He took Bertha this morning to pick Remus up from the airport."

"What? No! I wanted to go with him!"

He grinned down at her, taking her hand and dragging her away from the seashore to the house. "Ah, well. You can help me prepare for the next Christmas activity."

"And that would be?"

"You'll see. Remus will love it."

 _-x-x-x-_

"Hey, hey! Lovebirds, we're home!"

Lily and James made eye contact from their respective places in the kitchen, then broke out into a sprint, both trying to reach Remus first. They both reached the doorway at the same time and as they tried to get through the door at once, their shoulders became wedged in the small doorframe. They were stuck.

From the entrance room, Sirius and Remus burst out into laughter. Lily scowled at James. "If you had _any_ manners, you would know that it's always 'ladies first'."

"I've always been a more nonconventional guy."

"Okay, we both have to back up, and only one of us can go." They both backed up, then both tried to go through first- again.

"Dammit, Potter!"

In the entrance, Sirius and Remus were wheezing with laughter. "Stop, stop," Remus begged, leaning over to put his hands on his knees, his thin frame racked with chuckles. "I'm going to bust my stitches."

Sirius was sitting on the floor, laughing so hard he seemed to have trouble breathing. "You two never change," he said between gasps.

"Shut up," Lily said, finally managing to squeeze past James' broad shoulders and even broader smirk. "And you're laughing at us after the surprise we planned you."

Sirius sat up. "Hold on, surprise?"

Remus looked around, dumping his carpetbag by the stairs. "Why are all the decorations up, James? I thought you spent Christmas at Lily's. Wait, did your mum and dad get home early?"

James' smile stretched, if possible, even wider. "Nah, Moony, all this is for you. Your layover was in- what, Salt Lake City? That's no place to spend a Christmas. So we're having Moony's Christmas, a day late."

Remus smiled widely, his joy palpable. Hugging each of them, he whispered, "Thanks, guys."

James hugged him back, then bounced back to the kitchen, the other three following him. "So, in honor of Moonymas, we're doing all the Christmas things Remus loves! Starting with-" he gestured dramatically around them- "making Christmas cookies! Extra icing, extra sprinkles. And, of course, since this is Moonymas, extra chocolate."

Remus smiled widely. Lily noticed that he didn't look nearly as tired as he had before term ended.

 _I guess that's what James does. He gives life to those around him._

Smiling at Lily as though reading her thoughts, Remus nodded. "Well, let's get started!"

 _-x-x-x-_

The baking, like everything else the Marauders did, quickly became a competition. Sirius and Lily were neck and neck, having each baked and decorated about sixty cookies. James was meticulously decorating his first dozen- "every cookie has to be perfect, Lily! You don't understand!"- and Remus had been too busy eating chocolate chips to notice that his second dozen burnt in the oven.

 _Briiiing!_

The kitchen timer went off, and Sirius threw his hands up, as did the other three.

"Hands off! No more baking! Everyone shift one to the right and count the other's cookies!"

Remus, who was counting Lily's cookies, announced that she had baked fifty-six cookies properly, disposing with two burnt and two which read _Suck It, Sirius_ in red and green icing. Remus came up with eighteen, with Sirius disposing of six melted blobs of chocolate despite Remus's claims that they were edible. James completed nine exquisitely decorated Christmas trees, and Sirius finished sixty-four, though almost all of his last batch were thrown away by James because they were raw and had a blob of pinkish icing on the top- "it's _art_ , Prongs, you wouldn't understand."

Sirius put his hands on his hips, smirking unbearably. "I am the baking god! All shall bow before me!"

Lily looked down at herself and began to laugh. "If only you had aprons, James."

James looked over at her and placed his hand over his heart in mock indignation. "That's my shirt you've gotten flour all over, Evans!"

"I'd like to see you try and take it back!"

"Oh, you would, would you?"

"Well, neither of you are as bad as Boy Wonder over here," Remus interrupted, gesturing to Sirius, whose black pants and shirt were covered in flour. Sirius swallowed the cookie dough he'd been eating and pouted at Remus. "Excuse me, sir, I am a _man_ , and I intend to be treated as such!"

He threw a handful of loose flour at Remus, coating his maroon jumper in white dust. Remus started to grin. "Oh, you're asking for it now, dogbreath." He threw a bowlful of flour at Sirius, whose now powder-white hair gave the impression that he was going to enter a courtroom for the defense.

"FLOUR FIGHT!" hollered James, who immediately threw a handful of the white powder at Lily.

Alliances quickly formed. Remus and Lily teamed up to "vanquish" James and Sirius. This proved to be mutually beneficial until James surrendered and went off in search of his inhaler. Remus turned to high-five Lily, but was met by a powder-white redhead with a devilish grin and a pot of flour.

"Sorry, Remus, but I intend to be the ultimate winner." She dumped the pot of flour over him and used his distractedness to scramble behind the kitchen island.

"Et tu, Brute?" Remus yelled from across the cavernous kitchen.

"Don't you quote Julius Caesar to me, you know I aced that test!"

"You don't own Shakespeare!"

Lily realized too late that Sirius had been creeping up behind her while Remus distracted her. Dumping most of a bag of flour on her, she threw up her hands in surrender.

"Wow, Remus, you turned to the enemy's side awfully quick."

"You betrayed me, and are therefore the worse enemy. And my enemy's enemy is my friend."

"Wow, Remus. Well, I surrender, you two can duke it out."

"Actually, I think we're going to split the victory," Sirius said, walking over to Remus and high-fiving him.

"And I vote we celebrate by eating Christmas cookies."

"Sounds good to me. Wanna get James?"

"He's probably wheezing on his bedroom floor, but that's nothing chocolate can't fix."

"Right. Remus, get James and meet us in the entrance room in five. Evans, let's pack these cookies up and lug 'em out."

"Aye aye, Captain."

 _-x-x-x-_

The four young students laid on the floor, stomachs full of Christmas cookies. Remus's were the best because they had the most chocolate, they had decided, but Lily's dough tasted the best, James' were the most aesthetically pleasing, and Sirius' icing was unconventional, but delicious.

"I love Moonymas," Lily mumbled from her place next to Remus, her head laid on his stomach, whose head was on Sirius's stomach, whose head was on James', whose head was on Lily's.

"Hm, me too," James said sleepily. "I wish Pete was here, though."

"Stupid Frenchman," Sirius said. "Making Pete miss my new favorite holiday. Why don't we do this every year? Then Pete can come."

"Yeah, that's a great idea," James said, perking up.

"Sounds like a plan. You for it, Lily?" Remus asked, smiling slightly.

"Of course," Lily yawned, turning to the side, effectively dumping James off of her stomach.

"Hey!" James said in indignation, rubbing his head.

"You know, we should probably clean up the flour fight, before we make dinner," Lily said. "And we still have so much to do on Moonymas, we don't want it looming over our heads for the rest of the night."

The three boys groaned and complained, but wrenched themselves up from their spots and followed Lily to the flour coated kitchen. Remus slapped James on the shoulder. "I'm glad you two are friends now," he said, moving past James to pick up a broom.

"Yeah," James said, his heart twitching slightly. "Friends."

He shook his head and took a deep breath, entering the kitchen with a smile plastered on his face. "I call this quarter, last one to finish their area has to wash the dishes!"

The four got to work pretty quickly after that.


	21. Beauty and the Breakdown

**Yeah, it's been a month. In my defense, however, every single bit of my time has been spent either in band rehearsal or screaming into the void. So I kind of have an excuse, right? No? Well, I'm sorry. This is definitely my worst break yet. But with school starting now, I'm going to get into a writing rhythm! Yeah! I believe in me, do you?**

 **Hey, I have a new story out based on the one time they mentioned the Marauders as a crew in The Cursed Child. Don't worry; I'm not abandoning this fic by any means- it was just to warm up my writing engines after a month of ignoring my responsibilities. You guys should check it out, though! It's pretty okay (I think so, at least).**

 **The castle they go to is a 13th century keep where Edward, the Black Prince stayed. I encourage you all to check it out, it looks wonderful. If only I lived in Cornwall...**

 **Thank you to all of you who gave me kind reviews during my block month. There were a number of them that genuinely made me cry. You have no idea how much that means to me; please keep writing them. Thanks also to my beta, honorary-marauder-1. She writes a great Jily fic (which I beta) I would highly recommend called How To Move On 101. Check it out, you guys, she deserves all the love.**

 **On to the chapter, I won't deny it any longer. In apology for my long absence, I'm giving you all some good old-fashioned travel fluff. Then some less-than-fluff. But you know, whatever. This chapter's super long too, so hey! The fact that I legitimately hate it holds no relevance! Enjoy yourselves! Cheers, folks, and thanks for sticking around.**

Lily hugged Remus, her red hair barely peeking over his shoulder. "Come to Tuney's wedding, would you? I don't want to be alone. You too, Sirius, I don't think I'd be able to stand being there on my own."

Sirius looked at her amusedly, tousling the cloud of ruddy hair that exploded out of her head. "Isn't that what Jamesy here is for?"

Ignoring James' indignant squawks from behind her, Lily answered Sirius with over-exaggerated sobriety. "We both know he'll be too busy crying over the wedding ceremony to entertain me." She embraced Sirius. "I'm not kidding, though, please come. My dad would love to meet Remus, and he'd be ecstatic to see you again.

Remus smiled at her slightly, pain showing through on his pallid face. "I would love to, Lily. "We'll see how it goes, with the giant tear in my abdomen, you know?"

"Of course, Remus, if you don't feel up to it, absolutely do not. Call us, okay?"

"Yeah, Drive home safely." Remus hugged her again and whispered into her hair, "I'm really glad you're going back to music. It's where you belong."

She smiled up at him. "Yeah. Me too."

 _-x-x-x-_

James had been watching Lily the whole way home- _not_ in a creepy way, mind you- and with every kilometer they got closer to home and the reality of Petunia's wedding, Lily's face fell back to the deep lines it had been in the entire semester. It saddened him to see her losing the vigor she had seemed to regain in St. Ives- Moonymas had done both her and Remus some good. She'd been pushing herself too hard this semester; he'd been watching her (again, not in a creepy way, just in a concerned friend way) and she'd pressed herself too hard into her studies to make up lost time in education.

It wasn't just her appearance that clued him into her quickly falling spirits, though: she had been playing steadily sadder songs the closer they got to Cokeworth. They had reached the middle of "Adiago in G Minor" when James pulled off at an exit at Trebyan.

Lily looked up, worry lines giving way to confusion. "What are you doing, James? This isn't the way home. We told my dad we'd be home by one."

James set his face and slammed his foot on the accelerator, well exceeding the speed limit. "We're going to have a bit more fun before we're going home. And I believe your father knows me well enough by now to not expect us until suppertime, if not later. And I hardly think he'd begrudge you a bit more fun."

Lily grinned. "You're probably right, but what about Petunia? She wanted me to stop and pick up napkins for the rehearsal dinner."

James waved her worries aside. "Ah, we'll pick some up on the way home. Don't worry about that. Just focus on having fun. And put something less depressing on, would you? Honestly, I feel like the next thing on the queue is going to be 'Bring Me To Life' or a song of that caliber."

"I will have you know that 'Adiago in G Minor' is one of my favorite pieces of music."

"Well, it makes me want to go take a bubble bath and drown in my own sorrows."

"James Potter, the coolest guy around campus, three-time winner of the university newsletter's 'most charming smile' award and resident rock star takes _bubble baths_ when he's upset?"

"Hey, everyone deserves to wallow every so often, and I just so happen to like soaking in a warm and fragrant tub. Everyone copes differently, at least I don't drag race when I'm down."

"Drag racing is fun!"

"I never said it wasn't. It is, however, illegal. Taking a bubble bath is a perfectly legal practice that comforts me, leave me alone."

Lily shook her head, snickering. Once she changed to a more upbeat song James recognized as Tchaikovsky, she asked, "Where are we going, anyways?"

James' eyes twinkled mysteriously. "You'll see."

"Tell me!"

"Nope," he said, leaning away from her fist and accidentally veering into the opposite lane. Lily screamed, clutching onto the handle above her window.

"Don't you trust my driving, Evans?" James said teasingly, adjusting back to the correct lane. Lily, still clutching at the handle, snorted derisively.

"Please, Potter. The only person I trust driving is myself- I've seen more talented drivers than _you_ wreck racing."

"Wow, Evans, that hurts." But it stuck in his mind. Somehow, the fact that Lily had been in such a dangerous place never hit it in its enormity. She could have _died_ , and that was his fault. He just had to goad Snape, and Snape had called her a- a _mudblood_ and she called her parents, and they got in the accident. If he had just kept his fat mouth shut-

Lily put her hand on his shoulder. "James, look at _that_."

James shook himself out of his reverie. Looking ahead, he saw their destination had appeared over the horizon- the grand ruins of Restormel Castle.

Lily's eyes shone, her excitement making her all but bounce up and down in her seat. "James, I'm so excited! Castles are phenomenal- what's this one?"

"Er, it's called Restormel Castle- I'm not sure what the history around it is."

Lily pulled out her phone and began to read aloud. "Apparently it's a thirteenth century castle that was once home to the Earl of Cornwall, but was nearly destroyed in the English Civil War." She looked up, her face alight with excitement. "Wow, wouldn't Sirius love this?"

"Yeah, I guess it's almost perfectly circular- he'd think that was wild."

Lily was already halfway out the door before James had even put the van in park. Grinning at her exuberance and locking the van behind him, he sped up the winding road that led to the castle, jogging to catch up with her.

When he finally reached the redhead, she was halfway up the tower of the castle. Panting all the way up the wooden stairs, he caught sight her looking over the snow-blanketed English countryside with a wistful look on her face.

He leaned on the castle walls, the cool breeze providing welcome relief to his burning face. Sucking in a deep breath, he began to speak.

"This place is dead. It's stunningly beautiful, but there's _no one here_. I feel like this is the beginning of a horror movie where we're trapped alone in a castle and an angry ghost princess chases us around."

She laughed, shaking her hair back over her shoulder and tightening her scarf- his scarf, actually- around her neck. "It's two days after Christmas, James. Everyone's at home enjoying their new presents and having leftovers- we're the only ones mad enough to be out here in below freezing weather."

James looked out at the countryside. "So, any legends surrounding this place? Any tales of classic romances? Any heartaches, arranged marriages, or running away into the night for true love?"

Lily snorted. "I doubt it- this was the home of the Black Prince for a while. The only thing here were atrocities."

"Well, do you want to make one?"

Lily looked over at him, shocked. "What?"

"Do you want to make a story up? Look around- it's beautiful here. A place like this deserves a story to match its surroundings, don't you think?"

Lily grinned at him, her green eyes sparkling in stark contrast to the white snow on the fields behind her. "James Potter, who knew you were such a romantic?"

"Well, I would have thought the numerous attempts to ask you out would have said it all," James grumbled under his breath.

Lily continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "Well, you start then, since you're obviously the most well-read of ancient romances," she said, tossing her hair and giving him the barest trace of a smile.

"Excuse me, who did I find just yesterday sobbing their eyes out over _Pride and Prejudice_ in my library?"

"Oh, hush. The story was your idea, now start it!"

James looked over the walls, taking in the scenery. "Once upon a time-"

"Really?"

"Look, you wanted me to start it, so unless you have a better idea-"

"Go on, then."  
"Once upon a time, there was a lovely maiden who lived in a castle in Cornwall. She lived with her mother and her father and her sister, and she was the sweetest, loveliest, funniest, and most intelligent maiden to ever walk the land. She drove her own chariot- very quickly and somewhat recklessly, mind you- and against all odds, she received one of the best educations in Europe. She was also stunningly beautiful, with shining red hair that never seemed to stay under her wimple, escaping in wonderful whips that gave her a rakish, runaway look.

"Her mother, father and sister loved her very dearly, but one day, disaster struck the keep. The Black Prince was coming, along with his two aides and full company, a pair of lords who had been vying for the sisters' hands since they had come of age. The mother and father couldn't very well turn the Prince down, for he would declare war on them and their entire household would most certainly lose their heads.

"So the Prince came, and with him came the dreaded lords and an order from the Black Prince that the maidens must both be married by year's end. Lord Vermin took the hand of the older sister at Michaelmas, and soon made the sister behave like himself- rude, stuck up, and obnoxious- though it was only an act by the eldest sister to keep her family safe from the Black Prince.

"The younger sister, however, was forced into a betrothal with Lord Snivellus, the vile, cruel, and remarkably greasy ruler of a small county in the north, known the land over for being callous and tyrannical to his underlings. The younger sister despised him, and vowed she would run away.

"But lo! The date the Black Prince had set her wedding for was drawing near, and the younger sister was growing more and more panicked. With each passing day, Lord Snivellus grew more odious and even greasier, when she met a young aide of the Black Prince- a lowly knight who went into the Prince's service to save his father. The two fell madly in love, or, rather, the knight fell madly in love with her at first. He was assigned to make sure she didn't try to run away before her wedding by the Black Prince. But he loved her deeply, every part of her- from her shining red hair to her sparkling emerald eyes to her biting wit and unending bravery. He loved every inch of her, and somehow, she fell in love with him, too. One night, on the walls of the keep, she confessed to him that she would rather die than marry Lord Snivellus.

"'Why?', he asked, curious. 'He is an odious little twit, of course, but he is notably rich and, look at him. He's out still getting drunk and making enemies- someone's bound to stab him soon.'

"'I could never deign to marry _him_ when I am in love with someone else.'

"The young knight's heart sank. Of course she loved another, he thought sadly. She is a lady, and I am but a lowly knight. I am unworthy of her in position and in soul.

"'I am very happy for you, my lady,' the knight said wistfully.

"'Are you?' she said, matching his tone. 'I'm not.'

"He looked over at her- wimple pulled completely off and red hair curling off in all directions so she seemed to have a halo. Her fingers gripped the wall of the castle keep, and oh, how he wished to grasp those fingers and confess his love for her and beg her to run away with him-

"But no. She was in love with another, and he respected that."

"'Why are you unhappy, my lady?'

"'I believe my love is unrequited.'

"He tightened his fists and reached for his sword. 'Who is he? I shall challenge him- I am the strongest fighter in this keep, I can and I will best anyone for your honor.'

"She laughed, her voice ringing over the fields outside. 'I seriously doubt you can beat him, my dearest, for he is the strongest fighter in this keep.'

"The knight froze, letting her words sink in. 'Then, you mean to say-'

"She laughed again, the sound of her voice rooting him in place. 'Yes, of course, love, it's always been you.'

"His heart felt like it was going to break right out of his chain mail and soar up to the heavens. How could he possibly be so lucky to win the heart of the bravest maiden in the land? The he remembered a horribly sobering fact.

"'My love, you are to be married to Lord Snivellus at the end of the week.'

"And so it was decided that they would do the very thing he had been assigned to prevent- they decided to run away. All seemed well, when suddenly-"

James broke off, making Lily scream. "When _what,_ you prick? You can't just leave someone on a cliffhanger like that!"

James smirked. "Who's the romantic now, eh?"

"Shut up and finish the story!"

"I can't."

"Why the _bloody hell not?"_

"It's your turn."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"I've got no idea what to do."

"Just go where the story takes you, Lily-flower."

"What if the story takes them on a dive down the castle walls?"

"Then I forsee the same fate in your future."

Lily laughed. "Alright, alright."

"Well, all seemed well, when suddenly, the night before, the knight began to have second thoughts."

"Woah, woah, woah," James interrupted. "The knight would never have second thoughts."

"How do you know?"

James struggled for an answer, then replied, "Look, if you do anything to endanger their love, I wasn't kidding about throwing you down the castle walls."

"Noted." She cleared her throat. "Anyways, the knight was having second thoughts. The night of their escape, he turned and clasped her hands in the stable, going down on both knees. 'Dearest,' he said, 'you know I love you more than anything in the world. But it would be wrong of me not to offer you a way out. After the father marries us and we make our escape, you will never live easily again. I am but a poor knight, and we will be on the run until we reach France, and even then, Snivellus will never stop looking for us. It will be a dangerous journey. Are you sure this is the path you will choose?'

"She grasped his hands and knelt down to his height. 'My love, I would be weak indeed if I let Lord Snivellus scare me into a safe lifestyle rather than an adventure with the man I love. Never speak of this again; I would rather die a thousand deaths than live without you. I love you from the top of your wretchedly messy hair to the tips of your boots, and there is no one I would rather spend my life with. Now, stand up so we can become man and wife.'

"And they did. The castle priest married them at midnight in the stable with her mother and father and sister, who had escaped the clutches of Lord Vermin for just a second to send them on their way. Then, in the dead of night with only two days' provisions and the lady's chariot, they set quietly out on their way to find a new life- the ultimate road trip. And though Lord Snivellus never stopped chasing her, they evaded him, living in France, Spain, Italy, and Portugal for some time, but news reached them that Lord Snivellus had been killed by a man he had angered in a pub. They returned home to England and lived happily in the keep that had been the lady's home for so many years, living happily ever after."

James was in shock. She had described _him_ as the knight. He had obviously chosen her as the lady, but had stoutly refused to characterize the knight, choosing to leave that to Lily. But her comment about the ridiculously messy hair- that was _him_.

Lily Evans was in love with him, really and truly.

He stepped closer to her. "Lily, I-"

She backed up, the realization of what she had said dawning on her. "You know, James? We should _really_ be heading home. It's time to go, don't you think? Dad's probably missing us and it's really just time to go, come on, race you to Bertha-"

She cut off as she whirled around and raced down the creaky wooden steps. James didn't move, though. A wicked smile crept up his face, because whether she was ready to admit it or not, Lily Evans liked him. Loved him, even. And he would give her the space she needed, and pretend he didn't know until she decided it was time- but he knew, and he'd wait forever if he had to.

 _-x-x-x-_

They had reached Cokeworth before James saw Lily again. By the time James had reached the van, Lily had already picked the lock with one of her hairpins and was laying facedown with her earbuds in on Bertha's very back seat. James accepted this as her way of dealing with what had transpired on top of Restormel Castle, and plugged his phone in and blasted Van Halen the whole way home.

Lily popped up from the very back seat of the van where she had been laying down. "Hey, James, can we stop somewhere to pick up napkins for Tuney? I forgot to have us stop somewhere, sorry…"

He smiled at her in the rearview mirror. "Yeah, no problem. Here, we'll just pull over downtown and pick some out."

He pulled to the side of the road, parking Bertha in front of a shop named Emmett's. He opened the door and was out on the street when he noticed that Lily was not following him. He pulled the back door open and stuck his head in the door.

"Lily? You coming?"

Lily dragged herself out of the car as if it was the absolute last thing she wanted to do. "They won't be there, it's okay, it's no big deal-" she whispered, almost to herself.

"What?" James said.

"NOTHING!" she yelped, speeding ahead of him and opening the door to the shop.

James followed her in and promptly ran into the scarlet-headed girl frozen in the doorway, staring at the red-lipped, dark-haired, smirking beauty behind the counter.

"Hello, Lily," she simpered. "How's mom?"

Without further ado, Lily spun on her heel and rushed out the door, breezing past James on her way out.

James stayed firmly in his spot, glaring at the girl behind the counter who had just noticed him. Her face transformed immediately from a smirk to a charming smile. She looked him up and down before saying, "Well, hello, love, what _ever_ can I do for you?"

James glared even more fiercely at her, making the beauty's smile falter briefly. "I'm looking for some napkins," James said sharply, storming over to the display and picking up an armful of disposable napkins without looking at them, dumping them unceremoniously on the counter.

"Haven't seen you around town," the girl said, biting her lip and looking up at him. "Here for Christmas?"

"Yes, I'm staying with my girlfriend's family."

She froze in the middle of scanning a stack of napkins. "Oh, really?"

"Yes. Now if you would please continue, I'd rather be with her than here."

She finished the napkins without further ado and James paid for them, sweeping the bag of the counter without so much as a good day. He left the girl at the counter gaping behind him and went off in search of Lily.

He found her in the alley beside Emmet's, sitting down on an overturned dustbin, sobbing into the overlarge sleeves of her sweater. He sat down next to her and said, "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, I'm okay, I just had a little bit of a freak out-"

"No, you aren't okay. Please tell me what's wrong."

She sniffed and buried her head further in her sweater sleeves. "You're going to think I'm horribly stupid."

"Please, like you haven't seen me be an idiot."

She smiled. "Those occasions are alarmingly frequent."

"Hey!"

"Sorry. Anyways, the girl behind the counter? Her name's Ava Emmett. We were best friends until I dated her brother."

"That pulls a friendship apart?"

"It does if you carelessly crush his heart into a thousand pieces."

"Was this during Lily Evans' first crime phase?"

"Yes. Now, I would completely understand that and support her being bitchy to me, because I would, too, but when my mom died, she came to my house, told me it was my fault and that I deserved it. And you know, maybe it is my fault. And maybe I do deserve it."

James scowled and stood up. "I shall challenge her to a duel."

"James, no."

"I am the strongest fighter in this town, I can and I will best anyone for your honor."

She smiled at the reminder of the story they had created in Restormel. "No, James, it's really not a problem. We've discussed this, it's just some things make me doubt myself, and seeing Ava is one of them. I had a freak out, I'm done. It's okay."

James looked up at the sky and smiled slightly. "Forget Beauty and the Beast, we're Beauty and the Breakdown." He puffed his chest out. "I, of course, am the beauty."

Lily laughed a little, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. "I thought the lady was supposed to be the most beautiful woman in all the land."

"Well, no one ever said the knight was unattractive." James stood up, offering both his hands to Lily. "Now, come on, I can't wait to show Petunia the napkins I picked out for her wedding."

Lily started to smile. "James Potter-"

"Look, after you left, I had to save your ass! I picked the first ones I saw, which just happened to be-" he picked a package out of the large bag he held at his side- "Happy 7th Birthday napkins. Maybe it's the seventh birthday of their love?" he asked hopefully.

Lily laughed and grabbed his hands, hauling herself up. "Come on, dork. Let's go home."


	22. The Reality of Extended Metaphors

**I believe apologies are in order.**

 **It's been way too long since I've updated. Obnoxiously, ridiculously long. I promise, though, I am** _ **not**_ **abandoning this fic. It's gotten me some rough patches, and I'm not going to stop writing it until it's done. I'm terribly sorry; I have six honors classes (some are AP), wind symph, marching band, and about a thousand other clubs and individual responsibilities on my plate right now. I haven't had the time or the will to write. But I promise I won't leave you with this big of a hiatus again.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It's been an unbelievable comfort to me knowing there are people who want me to keep writing. Please keep reviewing; it gives me steam. I want to write when I get reviews.**

 **I would re-read last chapter if you've got time, it segues almost right from where I left off. This chapter is pretty short, it's just to hold you guys off until I can get to the rehearsal dinner. The wedding is quickly approaching, guys. Be prepared for some drama. It'll turn out alright, though. Probably.**

 **Lots of love goes to my beta, honorary-marauder-1. Check her fic out, it's amazing. And she updates more frequently than I do.**

 **Thank you all again for sticking with me. Enjoy.**

Unfortunately for James, it was _not_ the seventh birthday of Vernon and Petunia's love, a fact Petunia made abundantly clear.

Sitting in the counter of the spotless Evans family kitchen, Lily was enjoying watching James try to wriggle his way out of Petunia's wrath. The two adventurers had arrived in front of the cherry-colored door on Camden Street around six o'clock, tumbling through the entrance in the middle of Petunia's post-dinner wipedown of the kitchen. Her staunch disapproval of the two's missing dinner with Vernon quickly turned into full-blown argument after James had presented her with napkin selection. Lily was munching on an apple, amusedly watching Petunia chase James around the spotless kitchen as she berated him for his ridiculous napkin choice.

"Really, Potter? This is my _wedding rehearsal dinner._ How is anyone going to take it seriously if they feel like they're going to a child's birthday bash?"

"Oh, yes, James," Lily said with mock sincerity from her perch on the countertop. "You know that if there's no focus during the rehearsal dinner, absolutely _nothing_ will go right during the real ceremony!"

"See, even _she_ agrees with me!" Petunia said, wildly gesturing towards Lily, who snorted derisively.

"Tuney, it's not a big deal. People will think it's funny."

"No, they won't! Vernon's family will take everything very seriously! _Nothing_ can go wrong- my wedding has to be absolutely normal and perfect."

"I mean, maybe they'll think it's a clever pun on how long you've been together," Lily said hopefully. "No one there will really know you well enough to know how long you've exactly been together."

"But Vernon's family will, we've only been engaged for a half a year and together for two."

James assumed a tone of voice appropriate for a lecture, or perhaps a funeral. "Then maybe it isn't time to get engaged, dearest Tuney! You know it's dangerous nowadays to rush into engagements- why, you barely know him! It's improprietous to get married without being engaged for no less than ten years, you know! What _will_ the in-laws think? And your dowry! Do you even _have_ any llamas? No man marries a woman without a sufficient amount of livestock to bring to the marriage nowadays, you know."

Lily was shocked to see a flicker of doubt cross her sister's face while James was talking. Could Petunia possibly be having second thoughts about marrying Vernon? However, Mr. Evan's entrance to the kitchen prevented Lily from asking Petunia anything about their upcoming marriage.

"Hello, children!" Mr. Evans said cheerily, skillfully parking his wheelchair at the kitchen table beside James. "Whatever is going on in here? I heard screeches that could have raised the dead through the walls of my study. Who's dying?"

James pointed an accusatory finger at Petunia. "She was assaulting me with her dishcloth."

Petunia sniffed disdainfully. "Look at the napkins they got for my rehearsal dinner and you'll understand why."

Mr. Evans leaned over to grab a stack of napkins from beside James and let out a hearty chuckle, much to Petunia's disapproval. "You chose poorly, laddie. What on earth prompted you to get these, knowing it would presage Petunia's eternal hatred?"

"Hey, why'd you assume it was me? Lily does dumb stuff, too."

"Was I incorrect assuming it was you?"

"Well… not technically."

Mr. Evans laughed again. "Lily does dumb stuff, yes, but at least she knows what will make Petunia wildly angry and what's within acceptable teasing limits."

"Well, she already eternally hates me, so that really wasn't a problem."

Petunia cut in. "Dad, why are you supporting him? This is an absurd attempt to sabotage my wedding dinner, and I didn't think you would support them. This is my day, dad."

"Actually, it's the day before your day," Lily interjected helpfully.

"Dad," Petunia begged, widening her eyes and sticking out her bottom lip, to James' endless amusement.

Mr. Evans schooled his features into a solemn frown. Folding his hands in front of him, he assumed the air of a schoolteacher lecturing a mischievous student. "Tell me, James, why did you pick the birthday napkins? Was it to deliberately anger Petunia? To pull a good prank? Or another reason entirely?"  
James also folded his hands in front of his body, sitting cross-legged on the table in front of Mr. Evans. "It was a happy mistake that came from other circumstances," he said simply, smiling winningly at Petunia as he did so, causing Lily's ridiculing snort.

"Care to elaborate?"

"We were on the way home and we stopped by Emmett's to pick up some napkins for the honorable Miss Evans," James said, nodding respectfully at Petunia, who was scrubbing at a microscopic speck of dust on the table. "Unfortunately, an unsavory young woman was manning the cash register, and I had to purchase the napkins unassisted. However, I just wanted to get the heck out of there, so I grabbed a stack of napkins without looking at them and skipped town."

Mr. Evans unfolded his hands and rapped his knuckle on the hardwood table. "I'd say that's a pretty good excuse, I don't frequent Emmett's now that Miss Ava operates the register, and I know that you don't either, Petunia. Thusly, I declare young Mr. Potter cleared of all charges." James smiled and jumped off the table cheerily, joining Lily on the counter and grabbing a muffin.

Petunia huffed and scrubbed irritably at the spot on the table where James had been sitting, but didn't contradict her father.

"My dearest Lily-flower, would you join me in the studio? I haven't seen you, and I'd like to catch up."

Lily hoisted herself off the counter, elbowing James on her way out. "Good luck with _that_ one," she said, tilting her head towards Petunia, who was now compulsively scrubbing at a sticky spot on the refrigerator door. James chuckled, hazel eyes crinkling warmly as a devilish grin spread across his face. "Oh, don't you worry about me. Tuney and I will have a good time." He tossed her a muffin. "For the road. Come find me when you're done."

"Will do."

Lily walked slowly to the basement, munching on the muffin the whole way. Her head was full of James- her confusion atop Restormel Castle chiefly occupying her thoughts. How could she have been so stupid? James had clearly just been describing her to get a rise out of her, he only thought of her as a friend now, and she'd possibly ruined their budding friendship by accidentally marrying her medieval self to his paladin counterpart atop an ancient castle in Cornwall, of all places. It was as though she'ed used a metaphor to create a very real problem between the two of them.

 _And I thought I'd never use literary elements in real life,_ Lily thought, smiling cynically.

Lily needed to talk to Marlene- she'd know what to do. Warm eyes and tousled hair had never bothered her. Not, of course, that they were bothering Lily- just that she wanted a second opinion on her possible feelings.

Lily took a deep breath. It was time to face it- she was, somehow, in love with James Potter.

She didn't know how it had happened. She had spent most of their acquaintanceship hating him, and then suddenly- boom. Her feelings hit her in the face like a giant brick. And she had spent a little while pretending that the brick was actually just a gust of wind, ignoring the significant damage it had caused to her in hopes that it would just go away.

But just as her mother said when she was a little girl, injuries only get worse without proper attention.

And it was unlikely that she'd ever get that attention again.

But Lily put that all aside when she reached her dad's studio door. She gently turned the knob, letting her father's gentle performance of 'Autumn Leaves' wash over her. She sat down on the chair by the computer, propping her legs up on the side of the piano. "What's up, Dad? What do you want to talk about?"

He smiled softly at his youngest daughter. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay after your run-in with the insidious Miss Emmett today. Not to mention, I wanted to catch up on your trip. But that's less important. Are you alright? Should I contact Mad Alastor? Perhaps a late-night flyby is in order-"

Lily laughed gently. "No, dad, it's alright. I understand where she's coming from, at least-"

Mr. Evans scowled. "Lily Evans, I never want to hear that come from your mouth again. You know perfectly well that your mother was not your fault, and in respects to young Michael, _she_ knows perfectly well that you were not yourself- in fact, she led you down the path that brought you to the breaking point when it came to him. She has no right to judge you for _anything_ you have done."

Lily smiled sadly. "Yeah, I know, it's just hard to see her. All the time."

"I know, _mon chou_. How did young James handle it?"

:From what I could tell, he shut her down pretty well. However, I was cowering on an alleyway trash can, so I actually have very little information."

Mr. Evans smiled. "I knew I liked that boy. And how is my favorite young ragamuffin and his young friend? Are they well settled in St. Ives?"

"Yes, Remus arrived safely from Australia day before yesterday, and Sirius and he were building one hell of a sand castle when I left, so I'd say they're going to have a fine time entertaining themselves."

"I seriously doubt anyone could be bored around Sirius, and if he picks friends like himself, I daresay Remus is quite interesting as well."

"Yeah, they're a good bunch."

"Which leads me to my next question: Lily, does James treat you right?"

Lily almost choked on her muffin. Coughing violently, Lily managed to stammer out a "What?" before reaching for her father's teacup in an attempt to clear her throat of chocolate and cranberry.

"I've never been one to regulate you or Petunia's personal lives- if you ask for a source, I will direct you to the walrus of a man Petunia is marrying. That being said, I do need to know that you are in a good relationship with a good person. I could not part with you to anyone less worthy, dearest Lily."

"Don't you quote _Pride and Prejudice_ to me, Dad."

"Excuse me, who read it to you in the first place?"  
"Touché, father."

"I know I've never asked you before, but I can see that this boy is different. You love him, I can see that, and it's my duty as a father to make sure you're in a good place."

Lily smiled gently at him. "He's a good person, Dad. He'd never hurt me. You don't need to be worried about me, and certainly not if I'm with James."

Mr. Evans smiled softly down at the piano, quietly picking out the notes to 'Here Comes The Bride'. "Who'd have thought that busy Petunia would be getting married and that my wild-spirited Lily-flower would be in love, so soon? Only a little while ago you were chubby little toddlers sitting on my lap and slamming your fists onto this old piano."

"I mean, I can still do it if you want."

Mr. Evans let out a hearty chuckle. "No, it's just your sentimental old man bemoaning the days gone quietly by."

"Actually, Dad, I want to talk to you about something."

"And what would that be, _mon chou_?"

"Today when I was talking to Petunia, I noticed that she seemed like she was, well, second-guessing her decision to marry Vermin. I don't know, it was just for a second- but she looked like, just for a moment, she was rethinking her engagement. Have you noticed anything?"

Mr. Evans sighed, relaxing in his wheelchair. "As much as you and I wish that was true, I've talked to Petunia. The same one we just had. And she's set in her decision. She says she loves him and wants to be with him for the rest of her life- and while I don't understand why, I have to respect her decision as an adult. SO if she's second-guessing herself, it's something she needs to figure out on her own- if we get involved, she'll stick to her first decision." Mr. Evans turned back to his piano. "Now, run along, _mon fleur_ , go find your boyfriend and let your old man play in peace."

Lily smiled sadly and shut the door behind her. Walking up the stairs, she began to consider what the chances were of convincing Petunia to fake her own death to avoid marrying Vernon.

When she came to the kitchen, she found a disaster. Standing guiltily in the middle of the floor was James, with a shifty smile on his face and what appeared to be a smashed cantaloupe on the floor beside him. Petunia was collapsed in a chair by the table, her head in her hands, lamenting the death of her spotless kitchen. Lily locked eyes with James.

"Do I want to know?"

"Maybe sometime, but not near _her_."

Lily nodded. "Good choice." She took James' hand in one of hers and a muffin in the other, trying to ignore the way her heartbeat quickened its pace slightly at the feel of his fingers on hers and the scent of his laundry detergent subtly wafting towards her. _Nothing is happening_ , she tried to reassure herself, but she knew the cause of her elevated sense of awareness was coming from what was in her hand- and it wasn't the muffin.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she pulled James towards the door. "Come on, James, let's go."

"Hold on, where do you two think you're going?" Petunia said severely. "It's almost eight o'clock."

Lily looked at James and shrugged. "Who knows, she said vaguely. "But it's better than being here."


	23. England's Next Ethan Frome

**The last chapter I tried to update uploaded wrong. I'm so sorry, guys, this one should be okay.**

 **Your girl's back in the saddle, kiddos. I mean, relatively so- this came out before the one month mark between my updates. Which I understand is really garbage- I follow a couple of fics that update daily, and every time I read their glorious work, conveyed in a timely manner, I feel worse and worse about my skills as an author and my decency as a human being. But I guess you do what you can, when you can. And right now, my life is kind of a wreck- I've missed a week of school and was in the hospital, so I have six classes worth of AP level material to make up, and I'm still feeling like trash. And I have band auditions soon, not to mention my social life was just sort of turned upside-down with some friendship problems. And that's not even including my family, and the stress of the holidays coming. So I'm sorry, but writing just isn't on the top of my list right now. But I'll try harder.**

 **Thank you to everyone who has reviewed. Please, guys, the feedback means so much to me. Just drop me a quick line, and you have no idea what that means to me. Thanks for sticking with me, guys. It means more than you know.**

 **Now, on to greener pastures. Enjoy, folks.**

James swung Lily's hand, entwined with his, as they walked down Camden Street towards the town square. "Where are we going?"

Lily shrugged vaguely. "Who knows. The town is really pretty at Christmastime, just being out at night is a treat."

James cocked his head slightly. "Well, you heard the displeasure in dear Petunia's voice. What could we possibly do that would get her riled up on the eve of the oh-so-important wedding rehearsal dinner?"

Lily smirked. "Well, the least we can _possibly_ do is to get home ridiculously late. She's bound to stay up waiting for a while to see to what degree we're jeopardizing her dinner."

James chuckled. "She's already bound to be blazing mad about the cantaloupe, might as well add fuel to the fire."

Lily shivered slightly against the wind and gently falling snow. Her smile faded slightly. "I can't believe Tuney's getting married in two days."

"Well, she's a grown woman, we really can't stop her. Even if she is marrying the second-worst man I've ever met."

"Wow, only the second-worst? Who is the person upon whom you have conferred these oh-so-odious laurels?"

"Stop using your fancy teacher words on me, I'm just a pilot."

"Please, I edited your essays in our freshman English classes. I know what you're capable of."

"As I recall, you left them so full of red pen that I could barely tell if it was corrections or if you'd used my paper to kill a man."

"That was mostly out of spite."

"Well, whatever the case, the first-place finisher on _James' Top Ten Most Wanted List_ is the grease prince himself, Snivellus." James looked around the town center as they entered. "Speaking of which, aren't you kind of afraid that he might be lurking around tonight?"

Lily snorted. "Please, if it wasn't for me, I don't think he'd have left the stream beside Spinner's End for all of our teenage years." She tightened her grip on his hand slightly. "Besides, don't I have the strongest fighter in the keep on my side?"

"That you do, Lily-flower."

Their gazes locked for just a minute two long, and Lily looked away, blushing. James silently berated himself. _Cool it, James, she's not ready. She'll tell you when she's ready, it's not like she's been shy about how she felt about you before._

 _That's different, though, it's easy to tell someone you hate them, maybe she needs a little tiny push in the right direction-_

"Check it out, James."

At Lily's words, James shook himself out of his reverie. He tore his gaze from the pretty redhead to look where she was pointing. He stared across the plaza to the large Christmas tree in the town center. What caught his eye, however, was the church behind the tree, the light inside illuminating the large stained-glass windows, creating colorful streaks of light that made the already cheery square even more colorful. "It's fantastic," he breathed. "I can't imagine growing up in a town like this, especially around the holidays."

Lily smiled softly. "Boy, Sev and I used to have the run of the town around here. The day we met in primary school was the day everyone in town started to regret letting kids out of school at all- we were serious troublemakers."

"I'm sorry, Lily."

She snorted. "Don't be. I've got better people to goof off with now, anyways."

James dodged the gentle punch she directed towards him. "Ha! Nobody punches me without my consent!"

"Is that a challenge?"

James scampered off across the plaza. "Catch me if you can, Evans!" he hollered over his shoulder.

Lily smirked, setting off after him. In no time, she had caught up with the messy-haired delinquent sprinting across the square. She launched herself at him, her impact unbalancing him and sending both of them tumbling into a snowdrift. They rolled through the snow until the two finally came to a stop, James lying on top of Lily as they laughed uproariously, attracting stares, glares, and smiles from passing townspeople.

"Are you okay?" Lily managed to gasp out between bursts of laughter.

"I think I should be asking that of you," James said, chuckling deeply. "I'm the one who probably crushed you by landing atop you."

"Please, it takes more than a scrawny little punk with messy hair to take me out."

"While I am hugely offended, what offends me more is that you can easily outrun me. I mean, I'm on the football team. Literally all I do is run. Up and down the field, trying to make a goal. A five-six redhead in hiking boots just took me out, I need to work harder."

"Please, I outran you back at Bitterwood, this shouldn't really be a shocker. And I'm five-seven, thank you very much."

"I'm still hugely offended."

"Well, maybe you should get over your stupid male ego and realize I'm better than you."

"Please, I've long since acknowledged that."

"As well you should."

James suddenly became aware of where he was- propped up on his elbows, precariously balanced above one Lily Evans, gasping for air and with a face to rival the red hair that was fanned out on the snow slowly seeping through the knees of his jeans. He bent down slightly, looking at her now sober but still sparkling jade eyes, the shocking red of her hair in stark contrast to the turquoise beret perched on her head. Her strawberry scent tantalized him, the memory of her soft lips on his transfixed him, he was _so close_ to her, it was every one of his dreams come true. And then she reached up from the ground, her fingers ghosting up his chest, his neck, his cheek- his breath caught in his throat, as she lifted her face towards his- and moved her hands quicker than lightning to pull the brim of his beanie over his eyes, punched him lightly on the arm, and rolled out from beneath him, taking his elbows out so his face hit the hard-packed snow.

"No fair! You cheated!" he wailed, hearing her giggles on the ground next to him. He pulled his face out of the snow and the beanie completely off. "Oh, you're going to pay now."

He pounced at Lily, who squeaked and tried in vain to escape. But this time, James was faster and had her pinned beneath him, beginning to tickle her relentlessly.

"No! James, stop, stop, I concede, you win, you're better! I give up, stop, stop!" she said between gasps of laughter.

James sat up, smirking satisfiedly. "I knew you'd see reason."

Lily shook her head, but her smile remained. "So tell me, Your Highness, what shall we do to pass these long hours, only for the sake of irritating my holier-than-thou sister?"

James looked back at the warmly-glowing church that had caught his eye before. He drug her over to the large snowdrifts created by snowplows and waded through them to the soft, untouched snow of the yard.

"Everyone's gone home for the night. Let's build a snowman in the churchyard- it'll be a good surprise for the kids tomorrow.

"What would you say about making it into a competition?" Lily said, crooking her eyebrow upwards, a sideways grin twisting her face upwards.

"I would say absolutely yes to any competition of any kind. That being said, how exactly do you have a snowman competition?"

"Winterfest rules. You have thirty minutes to find whatever you need to build your snowman, create the man himself, and present it to the judge, who is the other person. Whoever has the best gets to choose what to do next. Time starts- now!" Lily scampered off in the direction of Cokeworth's commercial district. James grinned, shook his head, and dashed off after her.

 _-x-x-x-_

"And- that's time! Contestants, drop all snowman-building materials!"

The last half hour had made James work up a sweat. Who knew that snowman building could be so exhausting? After dashing into the only store still open to the public- a relatively shabby thrift shop, which he found contained all the costuming items he wanted for his - James dashed back at full blast to find Lily with the body of her snowman half-completed. He discarded the bundle of clothing next to his snowdrift and indignantly said, "How are you back already?"

"Hey! Winterfest rules say you can't look at the other's snowman!"

James grudgingly turned around, then furiously began crafting a snowman. "But how did you _do_ it?"

"I know all the best places to get materials."

"The only shop I could find open was a thrift store, and the counter was manned by an ancient dude. He had to be five hundred."

"You went to Borgin and Burke's?" she snorted. "Newbie."

"It was the only shop that was open!"

"Not if you know where to go."

"That's unfair. I don't know where to shop around here, I'm disadvantaged. I should get some sort of bonus points. Or you should be graded harder, because you know where to shop that you'll get your stuff quick."

"I didn't shop, idiot."

James ceased in the packing of the midsection of the snowman. "Well, what did you do?"

"I used, ah, alternative methods in my collection of resources."

"You nicked it."

"Did not!"

James turned around and raised his eyebrow. Lily, who was in the middle of picking up her snowman-making materials, blushed. "Okay, I nicked some of it. A very small amount. But it's warranted, and anyways, it's for a noble cause."

"Sure."

"Turn around and get back to work, you delinquent."

"Hark who's talking."

"Shut up."

Thirty minutes later, James was panting, hands on his knees, in front of his hastily completed snowman. Looking up at Lily, now splayed on the ground next to her snowman, great gasps of air leaving her lungs visible in the night air. His breath caught as he looked up at her icy creation.

It was him.

Well, it wasn't him, per se, it was his medieval counterpart. His knightly self. She had cut apart a cardboard box and covered it in once-crumpled, now neatly smoothed tinfoil. She had taken another box and fashioned a helmet, also covered in tinfoil, with the end of a broom cut off and duct-taped on to create a plume. An old wrapping paper roller, covered in the shiny stuff Lily had based her entire costume on served as an excellent sword, and, to James' endless amusement, a dark mop peaked out of the edges of the helmet, and a bent-up pair of square wire reading glasses were perched on the end of the carrot nose that protruded from a hole in the helmet.

Lily was likewise taken by the snowman- well, snowlady- that James had crafted with his thrift-shop materials. A very large, worn purple dress bedecked the snowlady, and a white tablecloth, elaborately folded, created a wimple that almost covered the fire-engine red wig escaping in wild wisps from its covering. Green button eyes, a ruby-red nose and a smirking line of buttons completed the image of a noble lady bearing a remarkable similarity to one Lily Evans.

"You won," the two said at the same time.

James grinned. "Please, yours took far more effort than mine did."

"Yours is spot on, though."

"As is yours."  
Lily grinned crookedly, her smile identical to the sloping lines on her frosty counterpart. "I can't believe we thought of the same thing."

"They do say great minds think alike."

"In order for that to be true, there have to be two great minds present, dearest Jamesy."

"I certainly hope you were talking about yourself, Lily darling."

"I thought we already established that I was better than you."

"I seem to distinctly remember you screaming, 'You're better!' earlier tonight. Believe me, that's not something I would easily forget."

"But perhaps something you could easily misconstrue."

James chuckled slightly, shaking his head at the fiercely blushing redhead still collapsed in a snowdrift.

"Do tell me, darling, mysterious Lily-flower, where did you find your materials?"

Lily sat up, her scarlet face turning redder still. "Well, back in the good old days, when Petunia didn't have a stick so far up her- well, back when she used to believe in fun, we'd have snowman-making contests all over town in the winter. Two snowmen would pop up everywhere- outside the school, in parks, in front of stores, even in private lawns. There was no stopping our shenanigans. We'd build them wherever inspiration, competitive spirit, or the need to settle a dispute struck.

"Marigold's Deli always throws away any tinfoil they didn't use wrapping sandwiches at the end of the day. Emmett's gets shipments on Friday in huge cardboard boxes. Mrs. O' Toole broke her readers on Sunday, she came to the grocery to pick up new ones while I was working the counter on Thursday, and the garbage truck doesn't come around until Tuesday. The mop was a lucky find in her garbage can, too, and empty wrapping paper rolls are not a rare commodity this time of year."

"And the carrot?"

"That, I nicked. But it's okay, because it's the grocery that runs in opposition to ours, Mr. Weismann is a terrible person, and it's his own damn fault he left his produce outside on a frosty night."

James sat down in the snowbank and laughed until he could hardly breathe. Standing up, he reached out to shake his competitor's hand, missed completely and knocked the carrot out of the nose of the snowknight.

"Wow, assault and battery. My poor crusader thought he didn't have to deal with this kind of thing anymore."

"Tell him that I'm sorry, but he should have expected it going up against the best fighter in this keep."

Lily laughed cheerily as she bent over to retrieve the fallen appendage.

"What next?" James asked, leaning on the cold shoulder of a merry snow-lady as Lily reaffixed the ill-gotten carrot to the cheerful face of her snow-knight. She stepped back, surveying her work, then smirked. She grabbed James' hand and turned her back on the two snowmen in the churchyard. "I have just the thing."

 _-x-x-x-_

Standing on the top of a hill overlooking Cokeworth, James was having second thoughts.

"You know, Lily, I'm all about having a good time and ticking off Petunia, but I don't think hurtling to our deaths on a piece of metal is the answer to escaping the rehearsal dinner."

"Please, James. You're a pilot. Aren't you supposed to be doing loops in the sky, feeling tons of G's, and barely scraping past mountainsides? Widow's Hill is barely anything compared to that."

"Just because I have a slightly risky job doesn't mean I want to become Ethan Frome."

"Don't be such a wimp. Get on the sled, I've done this a million times."

"Wait, did you say this place was called _Widow's Hill?!"_

"Come on, James. Live a little!"

James reluctantly trudged over to where Lily was already balanced precariously on the front of the sled. "If we die, I'm going to kill you," he grumbled under his breath.

"I hate to break it to you, but if we die, we're both going to hell, so I doubt you'll get a crack at me before Old Harry does."

"I don't think anyone' called the devil 'Old Harry' since the late eighteen hundreds."

"Well, it must be a refreshing change for him. Now, kick us off."

"Are you sure-"

"Go, James!"

James did as she asked, sending their sled speeding down the steep incline. It was quite a rush- James could feel the blood pounding in his ears and Lily's equally loud scream as they rushed down the hill. She was steering, and she made a sharp adjustment to avoid a tree stump, nearly sending him flying off the sled. He grabbed her around the waist, letting his panicked scream escape to join her exhilarated one.

She turned around and yelled something at him, which he couldn't hear over the rush of the wind, the sting of the snow, and the sight of his life flashing before his eyes. "WHAT?!" he yelled, turning his ear to better catch what she was saying. "Et uf!" she yelled.

 _What the hell?_ He thought. _Et av? Et is_ and _in Latin, I wonder what she's saying. What the heck does 'av' mean-_

He caught sight of her rolling her eyes at him before he was pushed unceremoniously off into the snow.

"Hey!" he said indignantly. "You could give a lad a little warning before shoving him off into the snow!"

"I did," she laughed. "I said, 'Get off", then, when you didn't, I shoved you off."

"Oh, I thought you said something in Latin."

This sent Lily off into another peal of laughter. "James, why would I be speaking in Latin? More importantly, why do you _know_ Latin?"

"The same reason I know how to fence. Prep school with the lads."

"I wasn't aware they still taught conversational Latin, even when living in the lap of luxury," Lily teased.

"They didn't, just Latin roots. The boys and I learned it to avoid the teachers knowing what our next prank plan was."

"Overachievers."

"Anyways, I hope you're glad when I catch pneumonia and die for getting mercilessly plunged into the freezing snow."

"Please. As though you got any wetter than you did during our snowperson contest."

"Which I won."

"Actually, I seem to remember you saying that _I_ won."

"Oddly enough, I seem to remember you saying the same thing."

"I plead the fifth."

"Unfortunately for you, this is Britain."

"Screw you, sir."

"The same to you, madam."

Lily stood up and brushed the snow off her jacket. "Come on, let's go again."

James choked. "Are you kidding? Again? I don't have a death wish. I barely survived the first time."

"What happened to the fearless James Potter, conqueror of new heights, noble leader of the college football team, stage performer and the first to rebel? This is just a puny hill. What, are you chicken?"

"No, I'm not insane."

"Come on, lad, we've got another couple runs before our luck runs out."

James looked up at the pretty girl standing above him- her rakish red hair escaping her hat in a rusty cloud that stood out against the night sky, her sideways grin curling around her bright teeth, her hand outstretched as she offered to help him up.

"Besides, your scream was hilarious."

James took her hand and stood up. "Excuse me, I do not scream. _Potters_ do not _scream_."

"Really? That's what it sounded like to me."

"Are you accusing me of being a _scaredy-cat?_ "

"Maybe I am." She straightened her features into a look of solemnity, mouth straight but eyes still dancing. "It's alright to be afraid of a little hill, Jamesy. Leave it to the big kids."

"Alright, that's it." He marched to the bottom of the hill, grabbing the sled from where it had skittered to a stop after they bailed. He turned around and began resolutely marching up the steep incline, dragging the sled behind him. "This time, _I'm_ driving."

"Hope you stop to ask for directions, because there's a ton of stumps on this hill."

"It'll be fine."

"I thought you didn't want to end up as the next Ethan Frome? I personally have no wish to become Mattie Silver, so maybe I should drive."

James paused. "Fine. But I _don't_ scream when I go down a hill on a sled, of all things. While charging into battle, perhaps, or if _Game of Thrones_ is cancelled. But _not_ while sledding."

"That remains to be seen. Two out of three?"

"Deal."


	24. Don't Bring The Pope To A Gunfight

**Hello, hello, hello! My winter break is almost over, and I have written approximately not at all. Soon, I will go back and get my exam scores and cry, probably. Reviews will improve my mood hugely, and I will not feel like such a massive failure if you guys say I'm doing alright. So, please, enable me! Review! Tell me what you think! I'll be happier failing my precalc exam if I have validation.**

 **Thanks, though. You guys are fantastic for sticking with me. Can you believe it's almost been a year since I published this? It'll be wrapping up soon, this is probably the last chapter before the rehearsal dinner, and after that is the wedding, which I already have written. Look at me, being productive. You can tell me how proud you are in the reviews. Do you guys think I can get to 100 followers for my one year anniversary? That would be the best gift I could ever receive. Please, spread the word. If I hit 100, I'll post early, and that is a promise.**

 **This isn't a very long chapter- it didn't really need to be. Fortunately, that means I haven't wasted my will to write, and I might have another chapter out in a couple of weeks. Who knows, I have more responsibilities with jazz band and quintet music to learn and my quartet hasn't even gotten our music, so who even knows, man. Whatever happens, happens, and whatever doesn't happen, is probably a new chapter. But I will try, and that is a** _ **promise**_ **.**

 **Seriously, though, thanks for sticking around.**

"I can't believe you made me do that."

James and Lily were walking down the path from Widow's Hill, Lily still laughing exuberantly, James pale-faced and in the second stage of shock.

"Come on, Potter, you know it was fun."

"I could have _died_. You just risked a national treasure."

"I certainly hope you weren't talking about yourself, Potter."  
"I absolutely was. I am a gift to humanity."  
"Oh, sure."

"Don't you laugh at me! You've had a lifetime to get used to that hill! I went down three times, and I'm pretty sure I lost five years of my life from stress alone. I'm going to have heart problems when I grow old."

Lily shook her head, laughed, and checked her watch. "Well, Potter, it's only twelve-thirty. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know! You know what to do around here that's open past midnight. It's all you."

Lily scowled, ruffling her hair with the puff of air that escaped with her somewhat indignant huff. "Jeez, Potter, I have to do all the work around here."

"I flew you to Exeter to buy presents. I'm living in the same houseas _Petunia._ Both things I did to save your ass. I think you can pick what we do, and I'll take it as repayment."

"Fine," Lily said, grabbing James' mittened hand and dragging him back towards the town. "And don't whine about Petunia, I've lived with her for twenty years, I think you can handle a week and a half."

"I just feel bad for your dad. He's lived with her his _whole life_."

"Eh, she can't have been bad as a baby. She couldn't talk, and there's no way for babies to have a judgy face."

"Please. You should see some of my cousins."

"You're kidding."

"I'm not. These kids grew up in the lap of luxury, and from their infancy, they turn their noses up at anything that they deem 'below them'."

"Even the _babies_?"

"Any formula that isn't made with the purest, most expensive, probably-mixed-with-nontoxic-gold-flakes gets treated to the 'patented pureblood baby blubber', so named by Sirius the first year he summered with us."

"You're pulling my leg."

"Okay, maybe a little, but you'd be surprised how young some of these kids get a stick up their ass. But I'm not kidding about Petunia's attitude. Oh my god, I actually don't know how you survived this long with her and Snivellus in the same town.

Lily laughed as they approached the rapidly decreasing lights of Cokeworth. "You'd be surprised," she said, adjusting her beret so it covered her ears. "Before I got the scholarship and he started dating Vermin, she wasn't so bad. Sure, she adhered to the rules, but Mom really made her feel comfortable with herself. I kind of feel like she's lost that. She needs everything to be just so, and have a normal life, and without Mom, she can't have that. So she's trying to make it, I guess."

James looked at Lily. Discussion of Petunia seemed to have cast a shadow over her cheery attitude. Her normally sparkling green eyes were downcast, and her arms were pulled up against her, making her seem small and vulnerable.

"Can I ask you something?"

James' heart started to beat faster. _It's not that, James, don't get your hopes up, shut up shut up shut up-_

"Yeah, of course. That's what friends are for, right?" _James, you idiot, don't talk about friendship if you want her to talk about more than that-_

"Today, in the kitchen, when you were kind of fake-lecturing Petunia about the dangers of marrying someone you don't know, did you notice any evidence of discontent, or of her second-guessing herself? Because I almost did, right when you were talking about impropriety and possibly marrying an axe murderer, but I might have just imagined it. And I talked to Dad about it, and he says he's already talked to Petunia and he says she's set in her decision, but I just thought I saw something and I wanted to know if you saw something, too."

James chided himself for raising his own hopes and tried to rifle back through his memory to that morning. _Let's see, there was a chocolate and cranberry muffin, a dropped cantaloupe, and a very harsh assault by way of wet dishcloth. What did I say?_

"Honestly, Lily, I have no idea. But if you thought you saw something, you probably did- I can read the lads like a book. If they have anything on their mind, I can tell, and it's because I spend so much time with them. You know Petunia better than anyone. If you thought you saw something, you probably did."

Lily gave a half-hearted smile and trudged onwards. "I was thinking this morning about whether it was worth planning a way for Petunia to fake her own death to escape the wedding. Any thoughts?"

James smiled wickedly. "Now, this sounds like my kind of business. I have _so_ many ideas- wait, why the hell are we back on your street? It's twelve fifty. If we go back now, we won't be sticking it to the man. Or in this case, Petunia."

Lily went up to the side door and extracted a key from under the houseplant. "We aren't done. Wait here, I'll be right back."

James crept over to the window. He peered in and saw Petunia sitting on the living room couch, her arms crossed and lips pursed, eyes focused on the TV. From the reflection off the picture of the Evans family behind her, James could see she was watching _The Shining_. "So edgy," James muttered. He dug through the snow to find the frozen soil beneath and picked up a handful. He carefully melted some snow in his hands and mixed it with the soil, creating a muddy mixture. He knelt by the window, his finger poised to right. _Which R is backwards? And I have to write backwards so she'll see it anyways, so the backwards one will actually be forwards, and the rest will be backwards-_

He felt someone kneel beside him, "What are you _doing_?" Lily hissed. "Do you want her to see us?"

"I'm just having a bit of fun."

"With mud."

"Yes. She's watching _The Shining."_

Lily's eyes travelled from the mud to the window, comprehension dawning on her face. "Redrum," she whispered.

"You watched a horror movie? You hate horror movies."

"How do you know that?"

"It was your introductory fact in psychology our freshman year."

"You remember that?'

"I remember everything," James said with a cheeky smile. "Now, I was _trying_ to remember which of the R's was backwards before _someone_ so rudely distracted me."

"It's the second one."

"Are you sure? 'Cause if it's wrong, she won't freak out, and it won't be as good."

"I am one-thousand percent positive. But remember to write the whole thing backwards-"

"Yeah, I know, I know."

With a steady hand, James carefully spread his muddy paint across the surface of the window, writing the eerie message to Petunia. When they finished, the two crawled away from the windowsill to avoid being seen. They sat against the walls of the house, breathless with laughter. A shrill scream split the air, and they heard footsteps pounding up the stairs, making them laugh even harder.

Lily clutched her sides, speaking between gasps of laughter. "Looks-like she won't- be- up- when-we get- done."

James leaned his head against the wall of the house, still chuckling. "What are we doing anyways?"

Lily stood up and pulled James to his feet. "This," she said, pointing to two snow shovels lying on the ground by the walk.

"That did not explain anything."

"We're going to be secret shovelers."

"We're going to be what, exactly?"

"It's something my mum invented when we were younger and wouldn't go to sleep. She'd go out with us after people went to sleep, and we'd shovel driveways, or rake leaves, or pull weeds, or something. It was a way to help people and a way to run off all our excess energy. And she turned it into a competition- because that would motivate Tuney and I. So we're going to be secret shovelers. It finally stopped snowing, and while I don't know if it's going to start again, we can get some of it out of the way for the poor folks who have to go out tomorrow."

"What are the rules?"

"Whoever finishes their side of the street first wins. If you get caught, you immediately forfeit. You can't dump your snow on the other person's driveways. You do have to shovel walks. Now, let's go, it's chilly, and shoveling makes me warm."

The two began fervently shoveling their respective driveways. "You know, I wasn't kidding about helping you plan Petunia's fake death." James said from the bottom of his first driveway.

"I know you weren't." Lily responded. "Every time you finish a driveway, we can exchange an idea. That is, if you can keep up with me."

"Oh, you're on."

James watched Lily like a hawk, shoveling madly. He had a couple of close calls- he saw an upstairs light flicker on in the second house he did- he had to dive wildly onto the porch so they wouldn't see him. In the fourth house, a dog started barking inside when he shoveled up the walk too close to the door, leaving Lily in hysterics as he bolted down the street, his shovel slung over his shoulder. And at the end of each driveway, he hollered a suggestion for Petunia's staged death at Lily, who shouted one back in turn.

"Maybe she sledded down Widow's Hill," (James)

"I think she could have been smothered by her own unwieldy fiancé." (Lily)

"She rode a segway off a cliff." (James)

"There was a tragic kale-chopping accident." (Lily)

"A KGB agent stabbed her with a poisoned umbrella." (James)

"Her scissors were face-up while she was walking." (Lily)

"She got into a gunfight with the Pope." (James)

"Her death was attributed to pure, undiluted bitterness." (Lily)

In the end, Lily finished her side of the street with half a driveway to spare. Red faced and exhausted, the two walked back to the Evans home at 1:30 a.m.

Lily let them in with the key to the house, debating the merits of the various proposals they had imagined with James.

"Isn't the KGB defunct?" Lily asked, shedding her coat by the hall closet.

James wiggled his eyebrows. "That's what they want you to think. I still don't get why you don't like the pope one."

"You can't just start a gunfight with the Pope. He's got a little bulletproof popemobile and everything. It's impossible. Not to mention, it would be impossible to spread that story on the internet so everyone would believe it."

"Please. We can enlist Remus, he's quite the hacker."

"Remus?"

"You'd be surprised."

Lily shook her head. "We are _not_ bringing the Pope to a gunfight."

"Well, in any case, no matter how brilliant 'suffocated by fiancé' is, Vermin won't buy it, because he'd have to be there."

Lily shook her head. "This is going to take some planning. I'll get blankets, you go get the Moonymas cookies. We meet back here in five. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

 _-x-x-x-_

Petunia woke up at 3:30 in the morning with a strong craving for juice. She sat up, stretched out her arms, jammed her feet into her slippers, pulled on her housecoat, and carefully slipped down the stairs to the kitchen. She retrieved her beverage of choice, but paused at the bottom of the staircase. She saw bright light flowing out of the living room, accompanied by loud noises- were those jingle bells?

Petunia poked her head in. Sprawled on the floor under Lily's worn checked comforter were Lily and James- both in a deep sleep with The Year Without A Santa Claus blaring out of the television. Petunia pursed her lips, but she almost felt like smiling. Lily was spread out on the floor, all four limbs splayed in different directions, mouth open and red hair fanning out everywhere. James' head was in her shoulder, her hair across his face, fluttering with every breath he took. Their legs were peeking out from underneath the blanket, entwined casually but comfortably with each the other's.

A half-empty cookie tin sat to James' right, crumbs everywhere. Lily had a notebook lying open on her chest, filled completely with her cramped, curly writing. What Petunia assumed was James' writing- a dark, spiky scrawl- was interspersed with Lily's, along with numerous doodles along the margins of the page. Beside James was a stack of books Petunia recognized from her mother's library- _A Complete History of The USSR and Espionage, Kale-The Easy-to-Grow Superfood,_ and _The Papacy: An Encyclopedia._

Petunia turned away to go up the stairs. _When was the last time I was that comfortable with Vernon?_ she thought to herself. _When he's around, I always feel like I have something to prove- to be beautiful and desirable and normal. How long has it been since I've been as comfortable as the two of them are?_

She trudged up the stairs with head full and heart heavy, and her juice completely forgotten.


	25. The Perks of Being a Closet Alcoholic

**Guys, I've been writing this story for over a year. Can you believe it? And my chapter count averages out to about two chapters a month! Isn't that fantastic? I mean, it's blatantly untrue, but you know what? We'll pretend the numbers don't lie.**

 **On top of that, I've reached a hundred followers! Goodness gracious, what a wonderful surprise to wake up to. So, I'm updating now as promised. I may have pushed it back a little bit to be able to update of COH's birthday, but it was only, like, two days. So I don't feel bad. It's incredible for me that this has gone on for a year- I certainly hope my writing has improved, and my chapters are longer, and my dialogue is more sophisticated. I don't know, I just hope you guys like it more.**

 **Can we try to make it to a hundred reviews in the next couple of updates? It doesn't have to be big- just a quick note about what you think about my story. Which leads to my next point- I'm writing unbeta'd now, so please excuse any errors you find in my writing. I'm really doing my best, so spell-check and Mountain Dew-fueled editing sessions are kinda keeping me afloat. If I miss something, sue me. Sorry, I'm kinda a one-woman operation right now.**

 **This chapter is longer than usual! Are you proud of me? You guys definitely deserve it, for gifting me with a hundred followers, but hey. I just kinda felt like celebrating it.** **This story's going to be wrapping up pretty soon. I might take a little time off, but I'm already drafting my next idea- I'm really excited to give it a run. I hope you guys will like it, too. And in the meantime, feel free to check out my other stories! I have one that's currently in progress and another that's complete. They're both quick reads, so if you find yourself with a minute, read them and tell me what you think.**

 **Anyways, thanks, guys. This is incredible for me. Thanks for making it happen.**

James woke up drowning in a sea of peach tulle.

He didn't remember falling asleep. Last he could remember, he was laying on his back beside Lily, rifling through a shockingly thick book about the Pope, desperately trying to find an instance- any instance- that could smear the Pope's honor so drastically that he would _have_ to challenge Petunia to a duel. The practicality of this- which Lily repeatedly pointed out- was minimal. The insistent redhead frequently noted problems with James's plan, including how to get Petunia to the Holy See by tomorrow, how to get Petunia close enough to the Pope to challenge him, how to get the Pope to challenge her to a duel rather than forgive her sins, and, the most problematic of all, how to get Petunia to agree to their plan.

Sometime between another argument about the deadlier qualities of kale and his rather shocking awakening, the living room had been filled nearly to the brim with frothy peach dresses and large bouquets of sickly sweet flowers. The smell was incredible. Incredibly _awful_. And on top of it, the air was _filled_ with pollen.

James sat straight up, screwed up his eyes, and _sneezed._

Lily sat straight up next to him. "What the _buggering hell_ was- oh."

James started to cough. "Inhaler," he choked out, then dashed out of the living room, nearly knocking Petunia over on the way.

"What's got his knickers in a knot?" Petunia asked, smoothing out a wrinkle on an immaculately folded stack of peach tablecloths. Lily narrowed her eyes and plopped down on the very stack of tablecloths Petunia had just been fixing, but said nothing.

"Your dress came in," Petunia said, gesturing nervously at the poufy stack of dresses. "I decided on a navy sash after you left the fitting, I think it'll be very nice."

"Why are you being nice to me?" Lily said suddenly,

Petunia shifted uncomfortably. "Can't I just be nice to my sister?"

"No. You want something." Lily said.

Just then, James barreled through the doorway, vaulting over a box of centerpieces and knocking over a stack of navy napkins, finally skidding to a halt beside Lily's perch on the tablecloths. Clutching his inhaler and looking like he was breathing easier, he gave Petunia a winning smile and said, "Sorry, weak lungs."

Lily laughed brightly. Petunia, on the other hand, pursed her lips and began stacking the toppled napkins. But to her sister's surprise, he didn't make a sarcastic comment or begin a lecture. She looked over at James in shock, who raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

"So, Tuney," James started, settling down next to Lily. "How was your hen party? How wild was it? Any crazy stories?"

"I haven't had it yet, it's tonight," Petunia said nervously, glancing nervously at Lily. "Actually, that's what I wanted to-"

"You're having your hen party right before your wedding?" James asked, screwing his face up in confusion. "Aren't you afraid you'll be wasted during the ceremony?"

"If I was marrying Vermin, I wouldn't want to remember, either," Lily muttered from her perch atop the pile of tablecloths.

Petunia scowled fiercely, finally shooing Lily off the stack. "There will be no intoxication at my party. Just a group of ladies having tea and enjoying each other's company."

James snickered. "Well, hope it goes well for you, Lily and I are cutting out after the rehearsal dinner to go do something that doesn't sound like it came out of an 1896 Ladies' Circle magazine. Tell me, are you going to hold a séance as well?"

Petunia sniffed huffily. "Unfortunately for _all_ of us, Lily will have already made her appearance at the rehearsal dinner, and as a bridesmaid, she will be obligated to attend my hen party."

Lily snapped up, her mouth wide open and expression skeptical. "You've _got_ to be kidding me."

"The feeling is mutual, dear sister."

"We both know you don't want me there. Why do I have to waste my time?"

"What would the Dursleys think-"

"Who _cares_ what the Dursleys think? If they're going to be around us, they damn well sure better get used to the way things are around here."

Petunia stood up, her pale, bony legs making her tower over Lily. "This is my wedding. This is my new family. I _will_ have you make a good impression on them. And if that means we have to _pretend_ to have a good relationship for the rest of our earthly days, then so be it. I want us to be _normal_."

Lily looked back at Petunia, her eyes blazing and fists clenched. "That is never, ever going to happen. You know why? Because I'm not normal. I'm a _freak._ Just like you always say. And I'm done pretending to be what you want."

Petunia looked at Lily with an expression of disgust- but deep down, James could see another emotion- one of envy. But it passed as quickly as it came.

"I'm telling dad," Petunia said, storming out the door.

"You do that," Lily said, stomping off in the opposite direction, leaving James alone in the living room with only his inhaler and his lungs full of flower pollen.

 _-x-x-x-_

"He's making me go."

James had been sitting in the Evans family study, waiting out the storm that had settled over the house on Camden Street. He was buried nose-deep in _Jane Eyre_ when Lily stomped in and sat on the desk in front of Lily.

He snapped his book shut and looked at Lily with an expression of disbelief. "You're kidding."

"He asked me to 'humor Petunia'. He says it's just wedding nerves, and the easier we agree with her, the quicker this'll all be over."

"Well, my condolences on your forced attendance on what seems to be the drabbest hen party in the history of history."

There was a brief silence, then Lily spoke. "I meant what I said, you know."

"Hm?"

"About quitting pretending to be what she wants."

James smiled at her. "That's a noble goal."

"You know what that means, of course."

"Enlighten me."

"The rehearsal dinner, the party, the wedding- we get to do whatever we want."

"Oh, I have some good tricks up my sleeve, believe me."

"I figured you would. Sorry I'm ditching you today, though."

"Eh, it's fine. I'll drive halfway to St. Ives and have the boys meet me with a suit for the wedding tomorrow. Say, what's Petunia's least favorite color?"

"Yellow. Why?"

"Just wanted to get a new tie and was thinking about what would tick her off the most."

Lily threw her head back, laughing. "Pick out the most ridiculous, hideously-patterned tie you can find. Petunia'll have a heart attack." She looked at her watch and groaned, dragging herself off the desk. "Really, who has a rehearsal dinner at eleven in the morning? That's a rehearsal brunch. I'm disgusted."

James also stood up, stretching his arms and yawning. "I'd better get on the road, too. Bertha's calling, she misses me. Want a lift to the- where the hell is this thing happening anyway?"

"They're getting married at the church and having the reception next door."

"Is this the church we were lurking at yesterday?"

"The very same."

"Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how well our snowpeople fared overnight. Now, come on, I've got a drive ahead of me."

 _-x-x-x-_

Lily was having the time of her life. To Petunia's irritation, she had shown up to the "dinner" not in a pretty dress or skirt, per her sister's request, but in James' football jersey and a pair of purple athletic shorts over unapologetically yellow-and-black striped tights. Her red hair was escaping from under her black fedora, and her turquoise sneakers clashed fearfully and wonderfully with the rest of her outfit. She walked down the aisle on the arm of one of Vernon's friends- a man as vile and mind-numbingly boring as the groom himself, who had turned his nose up at her appearance and hadn't spoken more than three complete sentences to her- not that she was complaining.

After skipping down the aisle of the church, sneezing so violently during the vows that Vernon lost his place, and accidentally tripping the altar boy on his way up to extinguish the candles, they finally reached the "dinner" itself. Lily had scarfed the food- lean chicken salad sandwiches, and, to her endless amusement, kale- and was chewing gum with her feet up on the long table at the front of the room, paying no attention to the prim, polite, and proper conversations quietly being discussed around her.

Her phone buzzed, and she opened the device to find a message from James. There was a picture attached, which she expanded, nearly making her choke on her gum. Lined up were four of the ugliest ties she had ever seen. One was a cheap-looking canary yellow tie made of polyester. Another was a pale buttercup with diagonal stripes running down it- a tie befitting a young princess's birthday, or an Easter service at Westminster Abbey. The third was a skinny, wooly mustard yellow number with lemon-colored dots all over it. The fourth was a rather disgusting Dijon-hued paisley silk tie that Lily would have wished on no one. The man sitting next to her scowled at the strangled cough she made. Glaring right back, Lily looked at the message that accompanied the picture.

 _1:01 p.m: Stopped at a thrift store on the way to meet the lads. Which of these sensational ties do you find the most offensive?_

 **1:01 p.m: As fantastic as those ties are, I have to go with the third one.**

 _1:03 p.m: Oh, the skinny, woolen, mustard monstrosity. I have to say, I'll look rather dashing in it._

 **1:04 p.m: Well, someone's got quite the ego.**

 _1:04 p.m: It's alright, Evans, you can say it._

 **1:05 p.m: What?**

 _1:05 p.m: "You always look dashing, James"_

 **1:06 p.m: Oh, over my dead body.**

 _1:07 p.m: I'm trying to decide what suit to have the lads bring. Do you think black or grey would be better with the tie?_

 **1:08 p.m: If you wear brown, you will look absolutely hideous. I will laugh at you, and possibly break up with you.**

 _1:09 p.m: Well, that's a pretty good reason to choose the grey._

 _1:10 p.m: Or should I pick navy?_

 **1:11 p.m: Good god, man, how many suits do you own?**

 _1:12 p.m: Enough._

Lily looked up from her phone and saw Petunia glowering down the table at her. She put her turquoise sneakers even further onto the table and stretched out, blowing an enormous bubble and popping it loudly, to the disdain of her dinner partner. Her phone buzzed again.

 _1:16 p.m: Just purchased your tie of choice. The lady at the counter looked like she was concerned for my mental health._

 _1:17 p.m: Since you picked the tie out, does this count as me wearing your colors?_

 **1:18 p.m: I think that only counts if I give you my handkerchief when you go into a duel to the death.**

 _1:19 p.m: I'm counting it._

 **1:20 p.m: You're ridiculous. I'm the one about to die of boredom.**

"Miss Evans!" Lily jumped at the strong voice behind her, startled. She looked around to see a thick-set woman behind her with a rather impressive mustache growing on her many-chinned face. "I am Marge Dursley, and I have some questions for you."

Lily was on the verge of taking her feet off the table, sitting up straight in her seat, and acting like a schoolgirl in the headmaster's office when she remembered her promise to James, Instead, she raised her eyebrows, settled back in her seat, and took out a copy of _The Prince_ from her bag, passively saying, "Not interested."

"I _desire_ to know more about you!" Marge said threateningly, moving to the front of the table to be in Lily's line of vision. Lily did not look away from her book; instead, she flipped the page with a bored expression on her face.

"I want to become acquainted with a girl I will soon be related to!"

"I doubt we'll be spending a lot of time alone," Lily said disinterestedly.

 _Buzz-buzz_ : Lily's phone sounded off, signaling a new message from James. Lily took her phone out of her lap, never making eye contact with Marge, and opened the new message from James.

 _1:22 p.m: You poor dear._

"Miss Evans has been very vague about your whereabouts and your plans for the future."

 **1:23 p.m: I'm in the middle of an interrogation with Vermin's sister. I didn't think it was possible for there to be a worse person than him, but here we are.**

Fortunately for Lily, dinner was wrapping up. Petunia came over and took Marge by the arm, saying, "Marge, won't you come ride with me to the tea shop? I'd love to get to know you better." She steered Marge away from Lily, eyes flashing and irritation palpable. Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

 **1:25 p.m: Luckily for me, my dear Petunia doesn't want me to spoil her expertly woven illusion of familial bliss. She's rescued me for her own sake. Now I just have to make it through the tea…**

 _1:27 p.m: Best of luck. I'm heading out to meet the lads, talk to you later._

 **1:27 p.m: Okay, drive safe.**

 _-x-x-x-_

 _3:46 p.m: I have quite literally never been more bored in my entire life._

 _3:46 p.m: You're probably driving, so I'm going to people-watch and gossip about a bunch of people I have the misfortune to know and you do not._

 _3:47 p.m: People-watching starts now. Don't you dare answer your phone if you're driving._

 _3:48 p.m: In the corner, we have Emily Starr. Such a drama queen. We grew up together. She was in the grade between Petunia and I in grade school. Horrible person. Almost a carbon copy of Tuney. Ugh._

 _3:50 p.m: Of course, Mildred Alcott is taking advantage of the open bar situation at the teashop. If there was actually alcohol here she'd be in trouble._

 _3:53 p.m: Just escaped Winnifred Doyle. She was questioning me incessantly about you. Apparently, even though every single one of them hates you, they all find you attractive. Weird._

 _3:56 p.m: SHITSHITSHIT MARGE ALERT MARGE ALERT WE'RE ON FULL LOCKDOWN_

 _3:56 p.m: NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME FOR ONE OF VERMIN'S ESCAPE DRILLS_

 _3:56 p.m: INCOMING_

 _3:56 p.m: WISH ME LUCK_

 _3:57 p.m: IF YOU CAN'T FIND ME YOU'LL KNOW WHAT HAPPENED_

Lily scrambled to put her phone away and look absorbed in Machiavelli, but Marge had already caught sight of her. Fixing her small, squinty eyes on Lily, who was wedged in a corner where she had hoped she could escape scrutiny. But it was not to be so.

"Miss Evans!" Marge called from across the room. "Come here, I wish to continue our conversation!"

 _Oh, I'll go over there over my own dead body,_ Lily thought. _If she wants to bother me, she's going to have to do it at her own inconvenience._

Unfortunately for Lily, Marge found it in herself to heave her body over to interrogate Lily.

"So, where were we?" Marge said, puffing slightly from the toll moving took on her.

"I believe I was in the middle of my book," Lily said, fixing her gaze on her treatise.

"I was asking you about your occupation, I believe," Marge said, ignoring her completely. "I know your father is a greengrocer- fairly respectable, I suppose. And your mother? What did she do? I believe she was a teacher."

"Please don't talk about my mother," Lily said softly.

"But before that, I know your sister said your father was a musician." Marge clucked disappointedly. "Such a shame, such a waste of a life."

Lily found that she had read the same line over for the past minute. ... _a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil… "_ Musicianship is a terrible career field, after all. A cold, cold door. And the types that go into music- well, I hate to think what they do with their free time.

Lily snapped her book shut, her eyes blazing. " _I_ am a musician. I am, and my father is, and I am proud of it. I know, I know, so shocking. Hold on, actually. I'd like everyone to hear this."

Lily climbed up on her chair in the tearoom. "Everyone, everyone, your attention please! Miss Dursley is less than impressed with my life choices. I know you all twitter about it behind my back, and to my face, but you know what? I'm done with pretending. I'm not going to marry quickly and become a housewife and have nine children and not work. And sure, that's a decent path to take. But you know what? I'm a _musician_. I'm doing what I love, and I'm following my dreams, and I'm enjoying my life while I have the energy and will to. I don't see any of you doing that. So, you know what? Judge my choices all you want. I'm doing what makes me happy, and that's all that matters. I don't really give a damn what any of you think."

Lily looked down at Marge with disgust. "So, say what you will, _Marge_. Tell your mother I'm a freak, and tell your father you're going to have a loony sister-in-law, and _suck it up_. Get over yourself. And when I'm in the London Phil, you're going to be sorry you _ever_ doubted me, because when everyone's raving about my French horn concerto piece, you're going to wish you knew me, to move yourself up in society. Because I'll be better than you. And you'll be sad, and lonely, and live only with your dogs. And I'm going to be successful. That's the type of people that go into music, and I'll thank you to remember that."

She looked around. "This is the shittiest crowd I've ever been in. I'm going to go get drunk, and none of you can stop me. Later, losers."

The tinkling of the bell signaled Lily's final departure from the party. It folded pretty quickly afterwards, with each of the ladies slipping off uncomfortably after Marge stormed out, leaving one slightly and very confused bride-to-be alone at a table in a tea shop.

 _-x-x-x-_

 **4:42 p.m: Hey, Lily, I'm back.**

 **4:45 p.m: Dear God, did Marge get you?**

 **4:49 p.m: I know you can take care of yourself and everything, but I'm kinda worried.**

 **4:57 p.m: Your dad doesn't know where you are, either. Please answer your phone.**

 **5:02 p.m: Hey, I'm really kind of worried.**

 **5:09 p.m: Just talked to Petunia. Sit tight, I'm coming to get you.**

 _-x-x-x-_

"You know, it's kinda pathetic to get drunk before nine p.m."

Lily was sitting at a bar when a man slipped into the seat next to her. Through her slightly intoxicated state, she saw an untamable mop of black hair and square-rimmed black glasses- James?

"How did you find me?" Lily slurred through her third scotch.

James carefully edged the glass away from her, setting it on his other side and signaling the bartender for a glass of water. "Petunia, actually. I came home and you weren't there, so she told me you went out to get drunk and where your favorite bars are." He smiled. "And your lovely choice of clothing really makes you stand out from the crowd."

James looked around. "Nice place. I didn't think it was really your style, though."

"Look, just because I'm a hard drinker with a love for classical music doesn't mean I can't-" she paused for a moment and hiccupped- "appreciate a jazz club."

James smiled. "You're a lady of many interests."

"You can- hic- say that again."

"Alright, now throw this one back and let's have a dance before we go home. We've got to practice so everything's perfect for the wedding, you know," James teased.

Lily complied, drinking the glass of water, then standing on her shaky legs.

"Woah there, Lily," James said, grabbing her arm. He led her carefully to the dance floor, then put her feet on his and danced her slowly around the floor.

"Want to tell me why you're getting drunk at five-thirty in the prevening?"

"What the- hic- hell is prevening?"

"Not evening but not afternoon. Pre-evening. Don't dodge the question."

"Something that cow Marge said just- got under my skin. She told me I was really wasting my life and that I was a disaster and that I- hic- wasn't good enough to be part of her family, and I told her off in the middle of a- hic- tearoom and I just needed to stop thinking about the Wedding and Petunia and Vermin and Marge and-" she stopped, burying her head in his flannel-clad shoulder, then continued, her voice muffled, "I was tired of tea and I wanted something that didn't taste like watered-down grass."

James chuckled quietly, then stood in silence, slightly swaying with Lily.

"I remember, you know," she said quietly, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Remember what?"

"That night at the Three Broomsticks."

James froze. "Er, what?"

"I kissed you."

James laughed softly. "Yes, I believe you did."

She hummed absently. "It was nice."

'You're telling me."

She leaned up and captured his lips with hers, smooth and soft and sweet and he could do this all day, all night, for forever-

He pulled away. "If you remember that night, you'll also remember that I won't kiss you while you're drunk," he said laughingly. She pouted. He smiled at her. "You know I would, but it has to be completely of your own volition, not of alcohol or anything else. Now, Come on." He heaved her to her own feet. "Let's go home."


	26. Lily's Last Revelation

**It's horrible, but I'm not really even sorry that it's been this long.**

 **In the past two months, the guy I've had a crush on for two years asked me on a date, told me he enjoyed it, then friendzoned me; my mother has made it her life goal to tell me how inadequate I am every second of the day, and I've missed a good two weeks more of school because I've been out with pneumonia, and, apparently, something else that they haven't quite figured out with. So, to put it plainly, my life has been absolute shit. But here I am! I am writing this stupid chapter I've been putting off forever. I know what happens, I've just been in a depressed, sick funk that's been letting me languish about the house crying over the Flash and feeling sorry for myself. But I'm picking up. Two more chapters, and this fic will be over, I can take a break, and then… start a new one. Boy, oh boy.**

 **Anyways, thank you guys so much for sticking around to read this. I know it's been a long time, and that really is inexcusable. And it isn't even that good. It's terrible writing, and it's almost a filler piece. But I'm trying, I promise. And this one isn't even that long to make up for it. But the next wait won't be nearly as long. Cheers.**

James had quite possibly never been more uncomfortable in his life.

His hair was slicked back within an inch of his life with an ancient-smelling pomade of Vernon's father's that James was ninety percent sure had been used as a form of chemical warfare in the first World War. It was _that old_ , and _that odious_. It was applied forcefully into his hair in suspicious chunks by Vernon's very aggressive sister- he believed he'd caught one of the indistinguishable bridesmaids call her Marge on her way out.

 _So this is the Marge Lily was talking about_ , James mused.

The sister and the mother, both bearing a remarkable resemblance to Vernon (and subsequently a walrus, or perhaps a killer whale) had nearly attacked James in a corridor of the church, dragging him into an impromptu dressing room.

"We didn't want to have to do this," Marge huffed. "We wanted to keep _her_ as far away from the ceremony as possible."

"You have no idea how uncomfortable people like _her_ make Vernon," Mrs. Dursley tutted. "Such a pity he's marrying a girl with that blood in the family."

"Well, there's still time for him to change his mind," James suggested hopefully. Both of the Dursley women squinted suspiciously at him. "Do you have any designs on the elder Miss Evans?" Mrs. Dursley said suddenly. James nearly choked on his own breath. "You've got to be kidding," James said incredulously.

"Not at all, Mr. Potter. You have been living in the same house as my son's betrothed. I am _extremely_ suspicious."

 _Who would go for Petunia when Lily's around?_ James thought. "I assure you, Mrs. Dursley, I have absolutely no interest in your son's fiancee. But, if you were so kind, would you explain to me why I have been kidnapped in a house of God?"

Mrs. Dursley huffed. "One of our dear Vernon's groomsmen, Winston, is stuck in his hotel room, vomiting his past three meals up. Now we can't have him befouling the wedding, can we?"

"I don't see what this has to do with me."

"You are the only groomsmen-aged available male that can stand in for Winston."

James gaped at her. "You've got to be kidding."

"I assure you, I have never joked about something so serious in my life."

"Have you ever joked at all? It's really a rather cleansing experience-"

Marge huffed. "Now, you are to keep your mouth closed the entire ceremony. Stand there and do absolutely nothing. You are only a member of the party to maintain the balance. You are there for the sake of normalcy."  
"Hold on, who said I'd even do it?"

Marge narrowed her already small eyes at James. "You'll do it, or I'll- I'll- well, you'll be sorry."

"I'm simply quaking in my brogues."

"If you do it, we'll let you walk down the aisle with _her_."

James paused. "Really?"

"Who knows, it may be your only chance."

"Wow, hit me where I'm vulnerable, why don't you?"

Mrs. Dursley shrugged, while Marge snickered off to the side. "Now, stand still so I can tame this unsightly mop of hair." She paused. "Just to be clear, your participation in this event in _no_ way includes you in our family."

"Believe me, that's just the way I like it."

 _-x-x-x-_

"Lily! Hey, Lily!"

Lily turned around in a swirl of peach tulle, then swore as she stepped on the navy blue sash. Struggling to retie the bow behind her back, she craned her neck to see who had been calling her name. After trying, and consequently failing, to knot the fabric on her own, she resigned herself to look like the shabbiest bridesmaid.

"Let me get that for you."

Lily swung around to find herself face-to-face (or rather face-to-shoulder) with Remus Lupin. She smiled, giving him a warm hug. He laughed and hugged her back, saying, "Jeez, Lily, I told Sirius I was recovered enough to come, but I forgot how hard your hugs are."

Lily immediately withdrew, apologizing profusely, to which Remus chuckled, waving her stammering redresses away. "I was joking, Lily! It's alright. Now, let me get your sash for you, it looks like a nightmare to tie."

As he knotted the blue satin ribbon, Lily took in his appearance. His tall, lanky frame looked a little peakier than usual, but his hair was nicely combed, laying flat everywhere except for a single cowlick sticking up at the back of his head. His tweed jacket was shabby, but neatly brushed, and a cheerful red vest enlivened his pallid demeanor.

Sirius, looking carelessly handsome in an expensive dark grey suit, rushed up to the two of them. "Hello, Lily. Where is James on this fine summer evening?"

"Sirius, it's twenty degrees out and snowing."  
"Whatever. Where's your boy?"

She snickered. "Vernon's second groomsman is hammered, and we can't have a drunk spoiling their perfect wedding. I expect the Dursley women are trying to find a way to keep his godforsaken hair flat by now."

Sirius and Remus roared with laughter. "Good luck with that," Remus said. "He's messed it up so thoroughly it just grows like that now. No amount of hair gel could ever tame that beast."

Sirius looked at Lily contemplatively. "Speaking of drunks, glad to hear you aren't smashed in a jazz club anymore. Actually, it's kind of impressive that you're standing up without sunglasses on. What's your secret?"

Lily winced. "Oh. You heard about that?"

Remus looked at her flatly. "Lily. We're his best mates. About as soon as it happened, James put it in the groupchat and asked us how he should deal with it."

Lily couldn't help it; she burst out laughing. Sirius and Remus chuckled along with her.

"Yeah, it was pretty funny for us, too." Remus said.

"But, I mean, we're used to Concerned James," Sirius said. "And Confused James, and Lovesick James, and Jealous James, and about a thousand other emotional Jameses. I guess you aren't."

"Wait, what?" Lily asked.

"NOTHING!" Remus yelled. "We should, um, probably be getting to our seats!"

"The wedding doesn't start for another hour!"

"Yeah, well, we need good seats so we can make faces at Vermin while he's making his vows," Sirius explained.

"Well, look at that, it's Lewis and McKinnon," Remus said. "I think we should say hello."

Marlene and Alan had, in fact, just walked through the chapel door and were heading towards Lily. Unfortunately, Sirius grabbed Marlene by the elbow and dragged her in the exact opposite direction before they could talk to each other. Marlene looked at Lily and shrugged helplessly, with a chuckling Alan bobbing along in her wake, leaving Lily alone at the door of the chapel.

 _-x-x-x-_

As Lily scanned the growing crowd entering the church, a thought hit her like a train: Petunia was really marrying this _man,_ this lecherous, self-absorbed, repulsive _thing_ \- she was finally going through with it. Lily had always thought that she would come to her senses eventually, that she would dump him, that this was just some sort of horrible phase, but no- she was about to bind herself forever to this abhorrent walrus of a man.

James walked up behind her and looped his arm through hers. "Jeez, I feel like I'm in a straightjacket. I can barely breathe in this tux. And the peach vest-tie combo? Hideous. I thought I was going to rock the ugliest look at this party with my yellow tie, but, somehow, this is worse."

He looked over at Lily and frowned. "You okay? You look pale. Well, paler than usual."

Lily swallowed and muttered, "I'll be back in a minute."

She dashed through the corridors of the church back to the room where was preparing for her wedding. She stood in the doorway and announced, "Ladies, would you clear out? I'd like a moment with my sister. Alone."

Petunia swiveled around in her stool to face the mirror, her fluffy white dress creating a storm of fabric around her. Picking up a pair of pearl earrings, she looked at her sister in the mirror.

"What, Lily? I thought I asked you to welcome the guests as they arrived."

Lily stayed quiet, biting her lip. Petunia frowned, turning around to face her sister. "Lily, is something wrong?"

"Look, Tuney, I know we've had our differences. And I know it's been so hard for you since Mom died without me here. But we can try to be more normal, and we can try to do things your way. But this really isn't the solution. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life with Vernon?"

Petunia bit her lip and didn't answer. Sensing hesitation, Lily continued on.

"You don't have to marry him. You are in no way obligated to do it- it's entirely your choice. You say the word and I'll tell Dad, and James and I can create a distraction so you can leave, or we'll manufacture a large enough disaster that the wedding will be delayed for a day or two so you can tell Vernon yourself, if that's what you want to do. But you don't have to do anything you don't want to. It's not too late."

Petunia seemed to have been on the verge of agreement until Lily mentioned James. Her eyes narrowed and her face closed up.

"No," she spat. "This is the only way to have a normal life and get away from _freaks_ like you and your little friends!" She spun around and began to adjust her immaculate golden curls. "Now, leave me and my _bridesmaids_ alone so I can prepare for the happiest day of my life."

Lily stood still for a minute, then turned slowly, going out the door and shutting it behind her with a final-sounding _click_. Her vision grew blurry with tears, and she began to walk. Instead of going back back to the entrance of the chapel, however, Lily found herself in a small alcove with a statue in it- the image of Saint Cecilia. She flung off her heels and knelt at the base of the statue.

"Er, hey, Mom. I know that it's pretty much my fault that you died, and this is the first time I've tried to, uh, talk to you since then. I'm so, so sorry. But I think you know that.

"I'm having a hard time accepting Petunia's marriage to Vermin. And I know you would have, too, but you also would have found it in you to accept her decision as an adult. So can you help me make peace with Petunia's choice?

"While we're, uh, talking, I guess, can you help me with James? I don't want to spoil our friendship with something he doesn't want, but he's special to me. Like, really special. Marlene says I should go for it, and I remember you and her agreeing on a lot of things. Will you send me some sort of sign, or something?

"I, er, really, really miss you, Mum. Please forgive me. Thanks."

Someone knelt down beside her. Through her still somewhat cloudy vision, she saw a still-messy mop of black hair, an aggressively peach vest, and she smelled something that reminded her vaguely of sulfur mixed with unwashed socks. She coughed. "What's that smell?"

"Vermin's dad's hair pomade. I'm pretty sure it was on the list of substances banned by the Geneva conference."

Lily felt fabric dabbing away the tears on her cheeks, and opened her eyes to find James wiping them away with his tie. "Oh, now your tie is going to have my makeup stains on it," Lily sniffled, wiping her nose.

"Please, it was hideous anyways. It's really not a huge loss." He pulled her to her feet. "Now, come on. The ceremony is about to start."

Lily bent down to pick up her heels, but James kicked them aside. "Who needs shoes, you know?"

"Well, you're wearing them, for starters."

James looked at her, then down at his feet. "I suppose I am." He kicked his shoes off as well, revealing purple socks spangled with airplanes. "That's much better," he said, wiggling his toes emphatically.

"James?"

"Yes, Lily?"

"How much did you hear?"

He looked at her carefully. "Enough."

 _-x-x-x-_

Lily didn't think she could take much more.

Her sister's wedding ceremony was going on all around her, but she hadn't really seen a single thing. All she could focus on was the black-haired boy standing across from her.

For most of the ceremony, he'd been making faces at her, wiggling his eyebrows when the priest misspoke, miming Vernon as he said his vows, rolling his eyes when Petunia emphatically averred her willingness to have a normal life with him. But now, he was just looking at her. Unmasked scrutiny. But she didn't feel uncomfortable, as she always had when Sev had looked at her that way. She felt comfortable, at home, and she stared right back- there was no reason to hide. He wasn't looking at her to make her uncomfortable- he was looking at her so he could _see_ her.

And maybe it was her mother's answer, maybe it was just a coincidence, but Lily felt that she had both of her answers. And the solutions were one and the same.

She wiggled her feet on the cold stone floor, knowing how to handle both of her problems. She smiled slightly at James, finally feeling at peace.


	27. Til Death Do We Party

**Remember when I said I was going to update soon?**

 **Heh.**

 **Thank you for the outpouring of support I got in the reviews last time, all of you were so kind, especially since it wasn't even a good enough chapter to merit that amount of reviews. It means so much to me, you have no idea how much it helped me. My life has been a little dark lately, and that was honestly the kindest thing anyone could have done.**

 **This is the last chapter, guys! ANd it isn't even good! Endings have literally neverr been my forte. Ever. I'm so bad at writing them. But at least I'm not leaving it unfinished, right?**

 **After I finish this, I'm going to take a small break, finish the other story I've been working on, take another small break, and then start a new one. If you want to read it, consider putting me on author alert! It's going to be another Marauders' Era tale, probably an AU, because that's what I like to write, but I haven't really decided what on yet.**

 **Again, thank you guys so much. You have no idea what everything you have done means to me. From something as small as a follow to telling me what you think in a review, you guys have gotten me through one of my toughest years. Thanks for everything. Now, here's the end you've been waiting on.**

She had to find him.

Ever since the ceremony, she'd felt that she might finally be able to tell James how she felt. But every time she made it close to him, something got in the way.

Immediately after the ceremony, Lily was searching for James in the reception hall where the dinner was to be held. Instead of finding a messy-haired, shoeless football player, however, she was quite literally swept off her feet by a tweed-clad whale.

"I saw you trying to sabotage Vernon's wedding," Marge hissed.

"What?" Lily said, still trying to locate James amongst the crowd of wedding guests still entering the wedding hall. _Maybe he got lost on the way here?_

"Well, do you deny it?"

Lily's eyes snapped back to the hulking monstrosity in front of her. "Sorry, what?"

"Are you insolent enough to deny what is so clear to all of us?"

"You think I was trying to ruin Petunia's wedding?"

"I don't just think it."

"Look, Marge, I have no idea where this is coming from, and honestly, I don't really care."

"You and that freak boy of yours were making faces all throughout the ceremony, and you came down the aisle wearing _no shoes!_ "

"Yeah, well," Lily stuttered, struggling for an excuse, "shoes are capitalist propaganda."

Marge spluttered. "What?"

"Shoes are a vessel used by large corporations to make money."

"Where on earth did you get that idea?"

Lily looked at Marge with a completely straight face. "I got it from an underground organization at my university where we work to overthrow the government. It's one of our five key mantras."

Marge moaned. "I'm related to a radical. Oh, the shame-"

Lily slipped under her arm, chuckling to herself. _Imagine my luck, rid of Marge and establishing my reputation as a revolutionary in one go._

 _Now, where the devil is James?_

 _-x-x-x-_

Lily finally caught up with Marlene and Alan after supper.

"I didn't even know you guys were coming," she said, hugging her two friends as she sat down at their table.

"Of course we came, dearie, your dad sent the invitations ages ago, but he asked for us to make it a surprise. I guess he didn't want you to be _all_ alone at your sister's wedding," Marlene said, smirking. "I guess you have made some friends, though."

She nodded over at the dance floor, where Sirius, James, and Remus were dancing around Mr. Evans' recklessly rotating wheelchair, now bedecked with peach flowers and white string lights in honor of the wedding ceremony.

Lily smiled. "Yeah, they've really taken to one another. The four of them were talking about starting Dad's old band up with Remus on bass, Sirius on guitar, James on drums and my dad on piano."

Marlene scrutinized Lily. "Your dad's going to have a hard time letting go when the time comes, popkin."

Lily stared out at the dance floor, then stood up. "Yeah, well, he might not have to. Excuse me, I need some air."

Marlene grinned. "It's chilly out there, bring a wrap, love."

"Yes, mother," Lily said, rolling her eyes at Marlene as she headed towards the deck. Marlene watched her go, then held out her hand to Alan. "Pay up, you."

Alan grumbled, but pulled a ten dollar bill out of his wallet.

"This isn't fair. I didn't think she'd fall for him."

Marlene laughed. "I guess I'm just an old romantic."

 _-x-x-x-_

James couldn't get her out of his head.

He could see her in the moonlight, standing outside on the freezing cold deck with no sweater and no shoes. The soft glow of starlight was reflecting off her pale skin and bright eyes- two eyes that had seemed to look straight through him during the ceremony. She had _seen_ him- his hopes, his desires, his loftiest wishes. He knew she had finally seen what he wanted, after ignoring it for three years.

He had heard what she said in the church- that she wanted to be with him. He'd suspected before- Sirius had told him that he had heard her talking to Marlene over the phone their night in York, that she'd confessed she like him. He hadn't allowed himself to hope that.

And then all the stolen moments over the course of the trip- the times they had kissed (mostly by accidents, or by necessity) and all the times his breath had been stolen away by her nearness alone. And the moment on the castle.

He knew that he was her knight in shining armor, and that it was time to come to claim his fair maiden at last.

A loud whoop came from behind him. Remus and Sirius had both found young ladies- presumably cousins of Lily's- and had begun to dance. Sirius was scandalizing Lily's elder relatives and the entire Dursley party with his dancing, getting unnecessarily close to his partner. Remus, on the other hand, was leading his lady in a four-part box step that seemed part waltz, part square dance, and was mostly theatrical in nature. Smiling cheerily, James walked out to the balcony where Lily was standing.

"Hey, you."

She turned around and looked at him, her expression troubled. James frowned. "What's wrong?"

She looked over the town, then took a deep breath. "Have you ever felt like everything is pushing you one way, and you know it's good, and it might even be meant to be, but you're scared you'll wreck something that's already wonderful?"

He looked at her steadily. "Every day of my life."

Without warning, she reached up and kissed him, her arms winding around his neck. Her lips, smooth and satin-soft, fit his perfectly. She tasted like strawberries, bringing a summery feeling to his heart in the middle of a winter night.

Breaking out of his shock, he kissed her back, putting one hand on her waist and curling the other into her hair.

He broke away, and gave her a suspicious look. "You know, there's no one out here who we have to pretend we're dating in front of."

From inside the reception, Van Halen's "Top of the World" began to play. They heard more whooping and hollering, and caught sight of Remus and Sirius dancing wildly. Sirius had tracked Marlene and Alan down and dragged them onto the dance floor, where Marlene was matching Sirius and Remus' exuberant and exaggerated dance moves. Alan, on the other hand, was bobbing around uncomfortably, laughing at Marlene's antics.

She smiled at him. His hair was a mess, his glasses were crooked, and he had switched ties so he was wearing his abominable, woolen, yellow one again.

She had never been so happy to see him in her entire life.

"I know." She kissed him softly. "Now, aren't you going to ask me to dance?"

 _-x-x-x-_

One day later, Lily was alone in a beat up red roadster on her way back to university. As it turned out, the journey did _not_ take three days, especially when she was driving without two impulsive teenage boys who pulled off at every other exit looking for something to do. She fingered the necklace James had given her in Birmingham a couple of days ago and thought about what had transpired after the wedding.

 _They were dancing in the reception hall late, nearly everyone had gone home._

" _What do you want to do tomorrow?" Lily asked, her head resting on his shoulder. She felt James' body stiffen._

" _You know, of course, that there is nothing I would rather do more then spend New Year's Eve with my exquisite, fantastic girlfriend, of course-" he began nervously._

 _Lily laughed and laid a hand on his forearm. "James. Whatever it is, it's okay. You had no idea any of this would happen. I mean, hell, you were just supposed to take me home, you had no idea you'd spend your holiday in Cokeworth."_

Lily rolled her windows down, letting Chopin's _Nocturne_ blast out of her car windows. The wind whipped through her hair, and although she knew it would tangle her red mane in unsightly knots, she really couldn't bring herself to care.

" _See, the Marauders have a gig at the university on New Year's Eve," he continued. "I would really love to spend the whole day with you and snog you senseless at midnight, but-"_

 _Lily laughed. "James. It's okay. We still have two more weeks of break left after this, we can spend as much time together as we want."_

" _I'm going to fly us back tomorrow, I'll drive Bertha back to St. Ives, and I'll take the Cessna back to uni, and I'll be back before you know it. Promise."_

 _She smiled up at him. "Have fun."_

She sipped a caramel milkshake, taking the exit off the freeway towards her college. It felt so good to be driving again, after nearly a year of being away from her roadster. She no longer wanted to drive quickly or recklessly, she just wanted to get back to the university in time to hear James play.

She pulled up in front of Kellynch Hall. It seemed so long ago that she had been reluctantly dragging her purple suitcase out to Bertha, dreading what she thought would be a horrible experience. Instead, she had finally rid herself of any guilt about Severus, had wonderful adventures, found peace with her sister, and made a bond that would last longer than a high school romance.

She still had problems, certainly- Ava and her brother, guilt about her mother, and the threat of a felony from kidnapping Sirius hung over her head. But for the first time since her mother's death, she didn't feel completely alone.

When she reached the commons, it was nearly midnight, and the Marauders had already started to play, covering Van Halen's _Can't Stop Lovin' You_ as she approached the bandstand. She pushed through the crowd to excited students to find a spot where she could see James play, and her heart swelled with what unhampered affection.

She thought about the most important change from this trip- _she was going back into music_. It was an incredible feeling- before, when she played her horn, she felt guilty because of Petunia's opinion of music. After she switched to education, playing her horn gave her a sense of melancholy, like she'd never be able to play the same way again. But this morning, after James had left for St. Ives and Petunia was gone for her honeymoon, Lily took out her horn to play Haydn's Concerto No. 2, she felt unmixed joy. She was going to be able to do what she loved and honor her mother.

And it wouldn't have happened without the boy on the bandstand.

"It's approaching midnight, folks!" Peter said into the microphone. "Count down with us! Ten... Nine... Eight..."

Lily looked up on the stage to Locate James, but couldn't find him. _How could he have disappeared so quickly?_

"Three… two… one… Happy new year, folks!" Peter said from behind the piano.

Lily felt two hands on her waist from behind her, and someone spun her around and kissed her directly on the lips.

She opened her eyes and was face to face with messy black hair, crooked glasses, and six feet of flannel-clad, smiling pilot.

"I thought I'd surprise you," Lily murmured after he broke off the kiss.

"I noticed, and I decided to return the favor," James said, chuckling and tracing his thumb along her lips.

"You're lucky, if I hadn't opened my eyes to check who was kissing me, I might have punched you in the nose."

"That certainly would have made for a good story to tell your dad," James said. "Thanks for coming tonight. It means a lot."

"I wish Dad could have come, but he really doesn't do long trips anymore. Especially not with me driving."

James pressed his forehead to hers. "It means the world to me that you're here, Lily. I mean it."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "I know."

"Now, tonight, we're going to release our newest song, _Change of Heart!_ Are you ready, guys?" Sirius's voice barely cut over the excited roar of students in the commons. Remus cut in. "Hold on, Sirius. We're missing the songwriter himself."

Sirius chuckled. "Jamesy, get your sorry ass up here or we'll get a new drummer."

James smiled slightly, his eyes still closed. "I have to go."

"I know."

"I'll meet you after the show. Maybe we can road trip in that roadster of yours?"

Lily smiled at him. "You know what, James? Nothing would make me happier."


End file.
